RIYADH, 22 November 2007 — Ching Padilla, a Filipino visual artist, will stage “Allure of Nature,” a two-day water-color exhibition starting tonight at the Mabini Hall of the Philippine Embassy.
Ambassador Antonio P. Villamor and his wife, Rosa Maria B. Villamor, together with Ahmed Al-Dweesh of King Saud University, are expected to grace the ribbon-cutting ceremony and opening of the exhibit.
Thirty paintings featuring nature — landscapes, flowers and plants — will be put on display and sale, of which a big portion of the proceeds will benefit the homeless and needy in the Philippines through Gawad Kalinga (GK) Riyadh Chapter.
Padilla, whose right eye became blind in an accident when he was nine years old, is an avid supporter of Gawad Kalinga, a group of Filipinos and friends abroad dedicated to help build houses for the Philippines’ poorest and homeless families.
“I hope that this initiative can help and touch lives and in this way I’d like to give back to God the blessings He has showered me and my family,” said Padilla, who is also a photographer and designer.
Sending ‘street kids’ to school is one of the dreams of Padilla, who grew up in Manila’s suburb of Pasay City. It is a dream he shares with GK’s “no more slums, no more violence, no more poverty” vision.
Padilla used transparent watercolor in his paintings this time.
because it is one of the most flexible and versatile medium he has ever used “next to pen and ink and oil,” which he used in his three previous exhibitions in Riyadh.