This article is written by R. C. Amurao a.k.a. Dave, our inhouse writer at Black Volume. The Brunch Club by Black Volume is a pop-up brunch crafted by artists for artists, or those who want to indulge themselves into the art world. “Pop-up” because though we may be doing this regularly, we do it only when the community demands it, whenever, wherever. And “brunch” because what better way to gather than with full bellies. right? We love art as we love food. And so, The Brunch Club was born and here’s to the first ever brunch, held nowhere else but at Hiraya Cafe.
“If you hear a voice within you say, ‘You cannot paint,’ then by all means paint, and that voice will be silences” — Vincent van Gogh
Brunch. Two of the best combinations there are in life. Breakfast and lunch, merged in one. It is more than two meals fusioned into one.
This is also a chance to meet with friends. A moment to create with loved ones.
This time, it’s a moment to meet new people while painting. What better way to do this is at brunch!
The First of Many
The Brunch Club is the first of its kind. It’s a collaborative activity where we meet artists, learn from them, and do all these activities during brunch. Black Volume envisions a different array of artists as they impart their honed skills all while we enjoy good food and coffee.
The Artist
In our first Brunch Club meeting, we have Mr. Richard Domirez or Chad for short. He resides in Baguio and specializes in Cordilleran art. Chad, as he wants to be referred to, is well known in various mediums such as acrylic, oil, and sculpture. He is based in Baguio and a part of the Arts Guild of Itogon.
The Experience
Brunch started at 9:00 AM sharp. Despite the gloomy weather, people arrived in their comfiest and warmest clothes. The staff at Hiraya Cafe greeted everyone with a smile.
During the event, Chad introduced everyone with the basics of acrylic. With everything provided, thanks to Black Volume, we started getting right into the workshop.
Our first assignment was to look for a portrait we would love to recreate in acrylic form. Scouring our phones, each found a specific image to their liking.
Everyone went to work immediately while Mr. Domirez hovered behind us, assisting each of the brunch-goers. On our white palette and brushes on hand, we mixed and matched a variety of colors.
Each stroke manifested an underlying emotion conveyed on the canvas. Minutes passed, the blank canvas is slowly being transformed into a masterpiece. Little did we know that we are creating memories for ourselves.
During the workshop, you can see everyone’s focus was glued on their artwork. With each dab of their brush, each sweep, each smear of paint, it slowly portrays an image. Each color represents their current emotion which is illustrated in canvas.
While observing and helping the participants in the workshop, Mr. Domirez gave wisdom to those who are curious to pick up a brush. For amateurs who want to try their hands on painting, especially acrylic, Chad shares to start small. Study your subject. Learn your basic colors. Once you identify your colors, you can already start by enumerating which hues to mix and match. In this way, you get to familiarize yourself with your tools in the arsenal.
Finally, once we are done with our mini projects, we get to witness our fellow participants feature their work. From colorful and fantastical landscapes to self-portraits, each showcased their blooming talent.
Final Thoughts
Don’t let anyone tell you that you are not capable of reinventing yourself. Not even yourself. Looking for new ways to spice up our lives is one way to be human. As we work in this world, let’s not lose sight of having ways to have fun.
These new experiences, new hobbies we take up, these aids us to understand life better. Like painting, trials and experiences illuminate our lives, bringing color and harmony in our gloomy and dark world.
Art helps us perceive things differently. In painting, we get to share our life’s stories to others. Painting provides a keyhole for us to look at each other’s lives and learn from them. We may not know it, but art is portrayed in everything we do.
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