A few weeks ago, I finally had the chance to visit Imahica Art Gallery—an independent art space tucked away in a modest building along Shaw Boulevard in Mandaluyong. Despite receiving numerous invitations to attend the openings of their previous exhibitions, this was my first time stepping into the gallery. For one reason or another, I always seemed to miss them, so finally being there felt long overdue.
That evening, I braved the traffic and rain to catch the opening of their latest exhibit, Triadico, featuring the works of women artists Jinky Rayo, Millet Sacerdoti, and Butchie Peña.
The exhibit features three distinct artistic voices, converging in a luminous celebration of creativity, collaboration, and diversity. It is a visual collective dialogue with layered, textured, and deeply human conversations led by the three artists.
Working across mediums like watercolor, acrylic, oil, gouache, and mixed media, the three women weave their personal narratives into a shared artistic tapestry, inviting viewers to witness the intersections of identity, culture, memory, and transformation.
Together, they challenge the notion that the self must be separate from the collective. In fact, Triadico thrives on the tension and harmony between difference and unity, showing that individuality—when embraced—can elevate the collective voice rather than dilute it. Triadico is an encouragement on identity, transformation, and shared vision.
The self-taught virtuoso of watercolor
Carina Alejandrino Rayo, affectionately known as Jinky Rayo, brings to Triadico the fluid grace and emotional resonance of watercolor, a medium she has mastered with remarkable depth. Her journey from Davao to international acclaim is one of quiet determination and relentless exploration.
Self-taught yet globally recognized, Jinky navigates still life, landscape, portrait, and abstract genres with a blend of emotion and imagination. Since 2012, she has staged six solo shows and joined more than 100 local and international group exhibitions. Her compositions and masterful use of color have earned her wide recognition and admiration from peers and audiences alike.
In 2021, Jinky won at the IWS Singapore and IWS France Pyrenees watercolor competitions. She also earned top honors at Malaysia’s International Fine Arts Movement (IFAM) Competition and Exhibition for three consecutive years starting in 2019.
She co-founded both the Philippine Guild of Watercolorists and the International Watercolor Society Philippines, serving as president of each. Through these roles, she has fostered camaraderie among artists and advanced watercolor as a vibrant art form.
Despite her achievements, Jinky’s work remains accessible and rooted in genuine emotion. She continues to push creative boundaries, inspiring others with her passion for watercolor—a legacy that shines as a beacon of innovation and artistry on the global stage.
The Psychedelic Symbolist
In contrast to Jinky’s fluid naturalism, Millet Sacerdoti’s works dive into the subconscious through layered color, symbolism, and spiritual geometry. A self-taught artist, she blends abstraction, psychedelic influences, and textured surfaces.
Raised in Paco, Manila, Millet began in publishing and interior design before committing to painting in 2012. Her practice features mandalas, imagined flora, hidden messages, and symbolic patterns, often rendered in vibrant hues and upcycled materials.
Living with epilepsy and bipolar disorder since birth, she turns personal challenges into art that embodies resilience and imagination. From her Tagaytay studio, she advocates for accessible art and mentors younger artists through workshops and collaborations.
Her paintings have been exhibited in the Philippines and abroad, including watercolor festivals in Urbino, Italy, and are part of collections across Asia, Europe, and the United States. A founding member and board director of the United Women Artists Association of the Philippines, she is also active in the Philippine Guild of Watercolorists and Artistica Ph.
The Quiet Power of the Everyday
For Triadico, Butchie Diano-Peña’s paintings are imbued with the stillness of observation and the lyricism of memory.
A painter and art director, Butchie explores florals, still life, and domestic scenes that echo memory and everyday life in her artworks.
A graduate of fine arts with a major in painting from the University of Santo Tomas, she was first mentored by her mother, also a painter and advertising director, whose lessons deeply shaped her approach to art. Her career initially flourished in publishing, where she worked for more than a decade as an art director and collaborated on lifestyle books.
After nearly 20 years away from professional painting, she rediscovered her practice through watercolor, a medium that challenged her and rekindled her passion. In 2023, she joined the United Women Artists Association of the Philippines and exhibited works centered on still life and botanicals, marking a significant milestone in her journey.
Today, Butchie continues to share her art through group exhibitions and advocates for greater accessibility in the arts. Her works merge the quiet poetry of still life with arrangements of forgotten objects set against raw, distressed abstract backgrounds where colors bleed, textures fracture, and silence hums with unrest.
Catch Triadico until Oct. 4 at the Imahica Art Gallery, located at 2A Lee Gardens, Shaw Blvd. corner Lee St., Mandaluyong City. Check out their website: https://imahica.art.
