The works of two Baguio and Benguet visual artists will hit the walls of the newly opened The Podium Botique Hotel today at 3 p.m. when the Heroes & Legends Portrait of Cordillera Athletes kicks off.
The works of Gladys Anne Laciste-Labsan and Joseph Domirez, Jr. will be featured in the two-month exhibit of past and present great athletes.
“This will coincide with the hotel’s formal opening,” said Podium owner Melan Ku Marquez, head of the running team that include triathletes Menchi Abahan and JT Gonzales, who are both part of the portrait.
Laciste-Labsan did the painting of the 11 female athletes, including Abahan, former SouthEast Asian Games marathon queen Christabel Martes, former SEAG javelin queen Erlinda Lavandia, wushu sanda’s Divine Wally and former Olympics bronze medalist Marianne Mariano, wushu taolu’s Kariz Chan and Natasha Laxamana, long jumper Katherine Santos, archer Kareel Meer Hongitan and Majoy Baron, who helped the De La Salle University Lady Spikers to their third straight UAAP volleyball crown recently.
She will also do the portrait of Gonzales aside from Team Lakay’s Joshua Pacio and Danny Kingad, golfers Mars Pucay (pro) and teen sensation Luigi Paolo Wong and wushu taolu’s Ken Omengan.
The Itogon-based Domirez, on the other hand, will have boxing great Rey Tam, Olympians Hector Begeo (track), Gerry Dino (judoka) and Benjie Rivera of wushu sanda, who won a bronze in the 2008 Beijing Olympics as a demonstration sport.
Others are Team Lakay’s Mark Sangiao, Eduard Folayang, Kevin Belingon, Honorio Banario, Geje Eustaquio and Eduard Kelly, father and son car racers Carlos and Inigo Anton, wushu sanda player Jean Claude Saclag and cagers Doug Kramer and Gerry Verzosa, who both played with Ateneo de Manila where they led their teams to the title.
Cocktails will follow the brief opening where four athletes will be highlighted weekly. Two floors will be utilized for the exhibit of the portrait done on a 24 inch by 24 inch canvass using oil/acrylic.