David Villavera was born and educated in Manila, Philippines, but continued his Fine Arts studies in the United States. Villavera lived for many years in Quebec where he worked with various Advertising Agencies and Studios as art director, designer illustrator and graphic artist to support his art. He taught life drawing and was graphics instructor at Dawson College in Montreal. Villavera painted consistently but did not exhibit during the malevolent years of the Marcos Dictatorship. After a period spent in Toronto, he is back in Quebec to participate in the unique and vibrant culture of the province. Always adventurous in his art, Villavera is very individualistic and works with different mediums. Casting his artistry widely, from figurative paintings to abstract expressionism, allows him to explore an idea, a subject, or a genre without restraint. This brings about a kind of poetry in his life as a painter and printmaker, having both a constant rhythmical and spiritual richness, the quintessence of which one can discover in his work. He is unencumbered by style. He submits himself only to the singular act of creation, finding fulfilment in the fruition that follows. Whereas on the one hand he could be evocative and delicate— his meticulous rendering superb, masterful and refined— on the other his art could be vivid and resilient, done with almost a careless abandon. But however he approaches an idea, he brings to it profound skill and passion filled, it is obvious, with colour and atmosphere. As one critic wrote, "Villavera posséde à fond les diverses techniques de la peinture à l'huile, du bois gravé et de l'aquarelle. Il s'impose d'ores et déjà comme le prologement des grands maêtres du début du siécle". |
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