Painting the Moments We Almost Miss

Some moments stay with us even when nothing extraordinary seems to be happening.

A person standing near the water. Someone walking through a park as sunlight filters through the trees. A quiet expression that suggests a story we may never fully know. These passing scenes often become the starting point for my paintings.

My work explores memory, identity, belonging, and the quiet ways people connect with one another. I am drawn to moments that feel suspended between movement and stillness: experiences that may appear ordinary at first but continue to hold meaning long after they have passed.

As a Filipino-American artist and a member of the U.S. Navy, much of my life has involved movement. I left the Philippines, began a new life in the United States, served overseas, and eventually made San Diego my home. These experiences have shaped how I think about place, distance, memory, and the people who help us feel grounded.

For many years, art remained quietly in the background of my life. Returning to painting allowed me to reconnect with a part of myself that I had set aside. It also gave me a way to reflect on experiences and emotions that can be difficult to explain directly.

In the studio, I often begin with a photograph, a memory, or a scene that continues to draw me back. Through atmospheric light, softened edges, and carefully observed figures, I try to preserve the feeling of the moment rather than describe every detail.

I am especially interested in leaving room for the viewer’s imagination. Who is the person waiting for? Where are they going? What happened just before the scene, and what might happen afterward?

These questions are becoming central to my upcoming series, Moments in Passing, which will debut this December as part of Art on 30th’s year-end exhibition.

The series reflects on people, places, movement, and memories that remain with us, even after the moment itself has disappeared. Over the coming months, I will share more about the individual paintings, their inspiration, and the process of bringing the collection together.

This blog will also offer a closer look inside my studio, including works in progress, exhibition updates, and the experiences that continue to shape my artistic journey.

Thank you for being here and for taking the time to look more closely. I look forward to sharing the story behind Moments in Passing as the series moves toward its December debut.