National Artist for Music Ryan Cayabyab Swaps His Baton for a Paint Brush
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When the COVID-19 pandemic hit the world, many of us hunkered down at home wallowing in a gamut of emotions: fear, anger, grief, anxiety, self-pity.
Not Ryan Cayabyab.
Two days after the nation shut down, the National Artist for Music kicked off Bayanihan, Musikahan, an online concert that raised funds for the most vulnerable sectors of society. For the next two months, the well-loved Cayabyab—fondly called Mr. C— pulled in some of the country’s biggest names in music to sing their hearts out in a series of virtual concerts that raised over P120 million for fellow Filipinos who were struggling to stay alive during the pandemic.
When things quieted down and the lockdown continued, Mr. C looked for other ways to keep busy, and decided to revisit an old hobby of his from decades past—painting on canvas.
In the last week of September, Mr. C announced his first art exhibit, “Tunay na Ligaya,” which will happen from October 21 to November 5 at the Power Plant Mall in Makati City.
The exhibit poster shows a series of 16 “eyefies,” or colorful self-portraits of the maestro, with just parts of his face on canvas, inspired by the 16 different voices of Ryan Cayabyab in his landmark 1981 album One.
Browsing through the catalog, however, one is captivated by his other works as well. His Red Series has broad mesmerizing strokes of red tinted with yellow, orange, and even violet. His Estilo series, meanwhile, is an homage to De Stijl, the 20th century Dutch art movement, with squares and rectangles in various sizes painted in vivid colors. His Explorations in Modern Art go into different geometrical patterns, squiggles, and free-flowing shapes.
Mr C poses with his painting hanging at the head office of Land Bank of the Philippines.
Pastels and flowers make up his Dreams and Hardin series; bursts of color that exude sheer joy and hope, as do many of his works of music.
We caught up with Mr. C to talk about his latest project.
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On how he got into painting:
“When I was a kid, I had two aunts and two cousins who stayed briefly with us at home at different times. All of them were enrolled at the UP College of Fine Arts, and I just sat and watched them draw and paint. Some of them left unfinished canvases and leftover tubes of oil paints.
“When I was 14, I joined the YMCA National Painting Contest. I used an old canvas, and two tubes of that leftover paint from my relatives—violet and green—and some kind of white primer substance. I had no training, but I was quite adventurous. I had one thought in mind: I wanted to win so I could help my widower father augment his income.
“And I did! I won third place in the YMCA contest, which had a cash prize of P50.
“I bought two cans of corned beef (P1.20 each) and two cans of Vienna sausage (about 50 cents each). I also bought some sandos and briefs, some art materials—a Guitar water color set, and a box of oil pastels. The rest of the money, about P20, I gave to my dad.”
Sketch of Basil Valdez
Watercolor of Jim Paredes
On mixed media and other tools:
“In the late 70s and early 80s, I got curious about the various lead tips of pencils, categorized as H or B. If I recall, there were various pencils in varying degrees of thickness, hardness, and blackness. I enjoyed drawing faces of people I worked with. It was hit and miss. Sometimes the faces looked okay, sometimes not.
“I also picked up watercolor and tried to paint faces, but was not so very successful. The best one I did, I think, was Jim Paredes. Watercolor is very difficult. It was harder to control brush strokes versus pencil strokes.
“In the late 80s, I started experimenting with pen and ink. I began drawing less and less realistic objects.
“During the pandemic, I got curious about acrylic painting, since I had no previous experience with it, and wanted to try it out. I bought a cheap black tube of acrylic, which I enjoyed using. I moved on to primary colors and experimented with them on paper I bought at an art shop.
Doodle from 1989
“My sister-in-law saw my initial attempts at acrylic painting and gave me three unused canvases and several tubes of used acrylic paint. Immediately, I noticed the difference between my cheaper acrylic tubes and the Winsor & Newton paints that she gave me.
“Later, I used the Grumbacher paint brand, and after that, I got a tip from (visual artist) Toym Imao and got myself some other paint brands, plus more expensive brands, such as Amsterdam and Golden. Over time, I learned how different brushes work. Since I was working on my own, I relied on the store clerks’ recommendations. Many of them are probably painters, too.
“During the pandemic when I had all the time in the world, I painted in the evenings after dinner and our family rosary. I couldn’t get enough of it and wouldn’t stop until I finished what I started. I usually worked five to six hours till I could no longer control my brush.
“In the mornings, I worked an hour till lunch summoned. In the afternoons, I worked about three hours, till I got so sleepy, my paints began to run all over the place, and I ended up cursing. That’s when I stopped and drank a glass of cold water, or went out of the for fresh air. Or I just took a power nap.
A painting in the Estilo series
“Music projects were few and far between from March 2020 to early 2023. We didn’t have work for a very long time. Concerts were not mounted. In the three years of the pandemic, I think I only had one concert a year which was videotaped or streamed live from a very controlled venue, with all the protocols in place (swabs, swabs and more swabs). Even when we had our first vaccinations in 2021, we still followed a lot of health protocols.”
On inspiration:
“I’m really not sure where the inspiration comes from. When an idea hits me, I just start to paint. I don’t plan any details; I just go by a general idea. When the brush hits the canvas, I just build it from there.
“I think I am doing it the way I write my songs. A general idea first, or topic, then followed by a first set of words and then it is a race to the finish. In the process of creation, decision making and the action seem simultaneous. I mean, while I write the music, thoughts for the next action or idea come streaming while I am writing. It is the same when I am painting. While I am applying or brushing paint on the canvas my brain seems to calculate and tell me what to do next. That is why I describe it as a race to the finish.”
Collection of 16 "eyefies"
On his large work “Directions” at the Landbank head office.
“For its 60th anniversary, Landbank commissioned me last year to write a song as part of its 2023 celebrations. They also invited me to give a talk about my life journey as a musician. I included painting in my talk because of the subject of reinvention, picking up new knowledge and developing new skills.
“I guess it struck a familiar chord as Landbank had transformed into a universal bank. When they called me for a meeting to discuss the song content, they asked if I was interested to create a mural to hang in their lobby. Whut? Me? Paint a mural? How big? 10.6 feet by 17.6 feet! What will I paint?
“Well, such is the story of my life, and I said sure, why not, even if deep inside I wasn’t that sure, but I was extremely excited.
“This was the same feeling I had back in the ‘90s, when I had a meeting with the producer of Smokey Mountain to create a new teen group; the same feeling as I was called for a meeting with ABS-CBN executives to host a new television show (Ryan, Ryan Musikahan); the same feeling as when I was called to a meeting by the chairman of San Miguel Corp to create a new symphony orchestra and a master chorale. Where did all these come from? I just showed up for meetings and said yes.
“So now, I have a mural hanging in the lobby of the head office of Land Bank of the Philippines. Who would have known? I am still scratching my head until now.”
Cayabyab at work
On music and painting:
“There are so many similarities in the creative process and in the actual creation of music and the visual arts. Music creation is just a little noisier. Literally. I don’t listen to music when I paint. Although my mind is a bit ‘noisy’ when I paint, at this point in my life, I like the solitude that painting gives me. I like the peace and quiet. So there. I am really getting old.
“Another difference: I paint for myself. I write music for others, but never for myself. For sure it will eventually come to a head. I might end up painting for others. I don’t know really. But for now, I enjoy painting for no particular reason except that it gives me a lot of quiet time.
On his family:
“My family is as amazed as I am with the number of paintings I have churned out. Our house has become more cluttered and filled with canvases. But now, with the 53 pieces extracted for the exhibit, the landscape has become a bit more peaceful.
“Tunay na Ligaya” will run from October 21 to November 5 at the Power Plant Mall in Makati City.
