When visual artist Brian Alegre suffered a heart attack in 2022, he thought it was the end of the road for him. He blamed it on lack of sleep and his vices. So, when God gave him what he liked to call his “second life,” he promised to do right by himself and those who have been rooting for him.
Alegre is a husband and father of three, who works as a full-time government employee. He was also gifted with an ability to create images through painting, a passion he has been pursuing since he won his first grand prize in an art competition at school in 1996.
Last Sunday, July 7, his creative journey finally led him to his first solo art exhibit hosted by the Gateway Gallery in Araneta City. Alegre titled the event “Pasasalamat” (Thanksgiving) to express his gratitude to everyone who helped him, and who continue to encourage and support his art.
Present to celebrate this achievement with him, apart from his family, friends and coworkers, were his fellow illustrators in the Philippine Pastel Artists (PPA)—led by founder Julius Legaspi and board director Nell Belgado—as well as 2018 National Artist for Music Ryan Cayabyab.
Artworks for a Cause
“We’ve been working together whenever we have projects for a cause, like workshops held at the PGH (Philippine General Hospital), for example… I feel like our paths crossed for a reason and our friendship has been deep… So, I guess it’s about time, Brian,” said Legaspi.
Alegre acknowledges Legaspi as his mentor, who has been instrumental in honing his talents further. Julius is the man behind Atelier de Legaspi, a workshop that nurtures individuals of any age, who would like to venture into the world of visual arts.
The two would often put up their artworks on social media for sale to generate funds for sick patients or people they know, who need financial assistance. Legaspi was the one who introduced Brian to the PPA, where he now sits as one of the officers.
Alegre said his first exhibit was intended to support this mission as well. Part of the proceeds from the sale of his available paintings curated by the Gateway Gallery will be donated to select beneficiaries, including Baby Zoeb, the two-year-old boy of his eldest son’s teacher, who has been diagnosed with autism.
“Because I wanted to pay it forward. I received so much help when I needed it. Now, I have the opportunity to return the favor to other people, if we generate some sales,” said Alegre, who acknowledged having a soft spot for children.
“That’s why I called my exhibit ‘Pasasalamat’ because I’m grateful for my second life and I can still paint. I did not get paralyzed or incapacitated. As long as I can paint, I will paint,” he assured, heeding the advice of his fellow artists.
Old works and new
For his first solo exhibit, Alegre worked with Gateway Gallery curator Gari Apolonio to select 40 of his past and recently released images for display. These include his best works in different mediums—pastel, oil, acrylic and watercolor.
Book author and artist Eva Millan-Dantes hosted the program. She is a cancer survivor herself, who agreed to help Alegre organize his lifelong dream of mounting his own art exhibit.
When asked which among his featured paintings was his favorite, Alegre picked the image titled “Sa Kumpas ng Musika at Kulay” (To the Beat of Music and Colors), soft pastel on 22×21 inches UArt paper he framed this year.
The artwork expectedly went to its subject, Filipino composer and conductor, Cayabyab. The image features the ‘Maestro’ at his home studio with a piano to his left and a canvas to his right while holding acrylic paints and brushes. Alegre said he worked on this painting for nearly 20 hours.
Though he is more popularly known for his music, Cayabyab picked up painting as a hobby, especially during the pandemic years when he—like many others—had to spend months at home. Alegre worked as part of his creative team when he held his own art exhibit sometime in 2023.
Cayabyab acknowledged that he is no expert when it comes to visual arts, but he enjoys the craft, despite its challenges. Because music, like painting—or any work of art, for that matter—lets you get into that rhythm of creation, where things just flow.
“It’s not easy. It’s really not easy to make it into the world of art here or even in other countries. It’s so tough to be a professional artist and rely on it purely for your livelihood. So, a lot of musicians, too, have their own side jobs,” the seasoned conductor noted in his remarks at the gathering.
Cayabyab said he was just fortunate to have found success in the industry, citing “hard work” as a key element. “If you want to be the best at what you do, you have to learn everything that is associated with what you’re doing,” he advised.
The Maestro, also known as ‘Mr. C’ to his peers and colleagues, encouraged Alegre to just keep creating regardless of how others will receive it because it is only through consistent practice that one gets better at something.
Alegre considers himself as a traditional artist, whose works were inspired by the masters that came before him. He named Fernando Amorsolo as one of his earliest influences when it comes to style and technique. One can tell this by the subjects of his paintings—humans and nature.
Brian also loves to recreate photographs into paintings. Some of his regular clients, including his cousin and businesswoman Merlinda Samaco, would commission his talent to turn their snapshots into framed portraits. To them, it made the captured moments extra special.
Technology as a tool
Although his artistic journey was shaped by traditional methods, Alegre is very much open to technology. He does not view generative artificial intelligence (AI) as a threat, but he understands the concerns of other artists.
Technology is very much present in his work as layout artist and multimedia designer for the Corporate Communications and Social Marketing Office of the National Electrification Administration, where he has to use computer programs to create and enhance images.
In fact, one of the artworks that stood out in his private collection—a 48 x 36-inch oil on canvas painting titled “Prinsesa ni Itay” (Daddy’s Princess)—was somewhat aided by AI. The image featured a tattooed father happily braiding the hair of his daughter.
The picture depicts the relationship he has with his only daughter, the youngest among his three children. Brian is also a tattoo artist, but he had to generate an illustration of himself wearing many tattoos to achieve the kind of image he was going for, because he only has limited ink on his body.
Alegre shared that the painting was inspired by the idea of hypermasculine men, who soften up or suddenly turn effeminate when they become girl dads. As an artist, Brian loves breaking those gender boundaries.
When asked for advice to other aspiring artists, especially in the digital age when it feels increasingly difficult to produce something amid a discord of random, if not saturated, multimedia content, Alegre said it is important to “respect the work of others, so you can earn respect yourself.”
As someone who learned from the work of others himself, Brian said there is nothing wrong with copying other artists, but you have to acknowledge the creative process that went behind it. In other words, be honest—to yourself and to your craft. It’s a wisdom that extends beyond art.
Brian Alegre’s “Pasasalamat” art exhibit is open at the Gateway Gallery, 5F Gateway Tower in Araneta City, Cubao, Quezon City. It will run until July 20. Alegre is also open for artwork commissions. You may reach out to him via his official Instagram account: @kurabay.creations.