I am excited to share with you the first interview I did for this website. Let’s have the spotlight on Eugene Cubillo, a great artist and an even better friend.
Eugene Cubillo is a visual artist — painter/ graphic artist/designer. Mounted sixth Solo Art Painting exhibitions since 2011 to present. Cubillo Integrated his everyday experiences as a visual diary by using various mediums and art processes to address different issues in a story telling manner through visuals/paintings. He also incorporated playing cards in his artworks as his way of making a statement that the medium is indeed the message– life is like a gamble. He has participated in more than 35 various local and international group art exhibitions, from the Philippines to South Korea (International New-Salon Exhibition / Korea Art Festival 2004), Including (Luciano Benetton – Imago Mundi, Map of the New Art) Island of San Giorgio Maggiore, Venice Italy, year 2015, Central Europe Budapest (Moments of Central European Visual Art Festival – AMS) year 2014, and Abu Dhabi Art Hub UAE. He received various recognitions and awards in art competitions such as NCCA Diwa ng Sining 2002 Artista ng Bayan one of top Three Winner/Awardee with his artwork ‘Boundary withdrawn’.
Now for some Q & A.
What are you currently working on?
I am currently working on my solo show for next year… Using rust as a metaphor and comparing it in our social and human condition.
What is your process like?
My process… My art is an extension of myself; it’s a visual diary. First, I contemplate about what I experienced. I then analyze what materials or medium I want to use and associate it to my visuals message. Next, I compose the images and transfer it to the size that I want for a certain artwork. Paint paint paint.
How did you teach yourself?
I observe, I read, I analyze, I explore, experiment, experience and study the behavior of my medium.
What was the most valuable thing you learned in art school?
The basic is your foundation, color theory and elements of composition. Materials and techniqiues…
What is the favorite piece you’ve created? Parang mga anak ko din mga artworks ko eh. Meron nauna, meron malaki at maliit, may kanya-kanya silang characters and story to tell… Pero, all of them are created equal… With love 
What is your favorite piece by another artist? I have no specific piece na favorite, but I like and admire some works of foreign and local artist friends. Sometimes when attending an art fair, art exhbition opening or any art related event and saw an actual artworks, it fuels me to do and create a new piece and back to the studio in a hurry
Why do you work in the medium that you do? At first, of course, I also used traditional medium, like oil paint. Then it evolved and it became hybrid. Mixed media na. It makes me feel—free from constraint in creating an artwork. Ayokong maging hindi productive kapag walang pinturang available.
Mixed media is also my statement, pwede ka makapag create ng iba’t ibang story through your medium na parang halo-halo; iba’t ibang sangkap, iba’t ibang pinagmulan, pinagsamang-paraan… Pero it comes up with a unique taste. Just like us as Flipinos in general
What is your favorite place to create in?
Studio sa bahay in Indang, Cavite… Or any place in the world as long as all materials I need in creating an art project or a certain artwork is there and complete and can easily be accessed and acquired
