Music icon's daughter wants to make her own name
Published Jan 29, 2018 09:44 am
Music icon Rey Valera’s daughter, Clarissa Aguilera, could have made a name easier as a singer having a famous father to follow. But she said she doesn't want to live under the shadow of her father (real name: Reynaldo Guardiano), she wants to make a name on her own.
Clarissa Aguilera with some of her artworks
“(I'm) definitely not as a singer although marunong akong kumanta. I tried singing, I enjoyed singing, but I realized I wanted to produce something you can see visually,” Clarissa explained. “My siblings (three sisters kami and a brother) and I even formed a band - we called it Salingkit - and we used to be the back-up of our father in his shows. We enjoyed those gigs, we considered them happy bonding moments of the family.
“But after my siblings got married one by one, we disbanded. And each one of us went on his own. For me, I continued my Fine Arts course at the University of Sto. Tomas. I finished college in 2009.”
Clarisse graduated Magna Cum Laude. She also was the recipient of the highest academic award from UST, the Rector’s Award.
Long before that, when she was still in grade school, Clarissa had started painting. “Not on canvas yet of course because then I had no idea yet of what a canvas is. Nagpipinta ako sa tela, yung katsa na ginagamit ng nanay ko paggawa ng bag. Very supportive siya and also my father sa individual interests namin magkakapatid.”
Clarissa said she wants to be known as a visual artist. “Gusto ko makaalis sa shadow ng father ko, at makilala ako as an artist. But I also draw inspiration from his songs and from other the OPM songs of other artists. I have a painting I called ‘Adamant (I Refuse to Change).' Ang peg ko noon ‘kahit na maputi na buhok ko,’ ibig sabihin hindi tayo magbabago…”
She added: “May isang unpublished song ng Daddy ko which also inspired me - ‘Dahil Kailangan Niya Ako.’ Ang message nito, nabubuhay ako dahil kailangan ako ng tao. Yun ang naging inspiration ko for my Mother & Child painting. Ang ginawa ko, ang Mother is already an angel type, so símbolo siya ng isang dead parent na nakayakap sa isang bata.”
Some of Clarissa’s work have been seen in some group art exhibits held in various art galleries like the UST Fine Arts Gallery and Cervio Art Haus but she is yet to mount her own solo art exhibit. Which is just fine because she intends to join the Metrobank Foundation art competition this year and a requisite is that the artist has not had a solo exhibit yet. “They're going to give you a theme from which to base your entry,” she said.
As to her style, Clarissa expounded: “Something malinis at magulo. Something na figure, at something na walang form, magaling ako sa ganyang style. Not complete, Hindi ko kinukumplet yung body parts, representation lang ng what's inside…conceptual art ang tawag sa kanya ngayon, dati kasi may classical realism, abstract. Eto naman konsepto muna. Hindi siya pure realistic o pure abstract. More on concept siya.”
She's a fan of Ventura, Da Vinci and Rembrandt.
Clarissa Aguilera with some of her artworks
“(I'm) definitely not as a singer although marunong akong kumanta. I tried singing, I enjoyed singing, but I realized I wanted to produce something you can see visually,” Clarissa explained. “My siblings (three sisters kami and a brother) and I even formed a band - we called it Salingkit - and we used to be the back-up of our father in his shows. We enjoyed those gigs, we considered them happy bonding moments of the family.
“But after my siblings got married one by one, we disbanded. And each one of us went on his own. For me, I continued my Fine Arts course at the University of Sto. Tomas. I finished college in 2009.”
Clarisse graduated Magna Cum Laude. She also was the recipient of the highest academic award from UST, the Rector’s Award.
Long before that, when she was still in grade school, Clarissa had started painting. “Not on canvas yet of course because then I had no idea yet of what a canvas is. Nagpipinta ako sa tela, yung katsa na ginagamit ng nanay ko paggawa ng bag. Very supportive siya and also my father sa individual interests namin magkakapatid.”
Clarissa said she wants to be known as a visual artist. “Gusto ko makaalis sa shadow ng father ko, at makilala ako as an artist. But I also draw inspiration from his songs and from other the OPM songs of other artists. I have a painting I called ‘Adamant (I Refuse to Change).' Ang peg ko noon ‘kahit na maputi na buhok ko,’ ibig sabihin hindi tayo magbabago…”
She added: “May isang unpublished song ng Daddy ko which also inspired me - ‘Dahil Kailangan Niya Ako.’ Ang message nito, nabubuhay ako dahil kailangan ako ng tao. Yun ang naging inspiration ko for my Mother & Child painting. Ang ginawa ko, ang Mother is already an angel type, so símbolo siya ng isang dead parent na nakayakap sa isang bata.”
Some of Clarissa’s work have been seen in some group art exhibits held in various art galleries like the UST Fine Arts Gallery and Cervio Art Haus but she is yet to mount her own solo art exhibit. Which is just fine because she intends to join the Metrobank Foundation art competition this year and a requisite is that the artist has not had a solo exhibit yet. “They're going to give you a theme from which to base your entry,” she said.
As to her style, Clarissa expounded: “Something malinis at magulo. Something na figure, at something na walang form, magaling ako sa ganyang style. Not complete, Hindi ko kinukumplet yung body parts, representation lang ng what's inside…conceptual art ang tawag sa kanya ngayon, dati kasi may classical realism, abstract. Eto naman konsepto muna. Hindi siya pure realistic o pure abstract. More on concept siya.”
She's a fan of Ventura, Da Vinci and Rembrandt.