THE WEAVER

A Profile of Toby Fule

We walked inside the hall of PMWA (Philippine Medical Women’s Association) as the smell of paint rushed in to our nostrils. A Summer Art Workshop is held there led by Fernando Sena, who was teaching his students who enrolled for the workshop some techniques in painting. We were amazed by his skills in drawing and his teaching of the art. When we talked with him, he said that a painter must be able to share his abilities to everyone. Through his teachings, he was able to have a few personal students.

Ariston Toribio Fule, or Toby, is one of his apprentices.

Toby is an undergraduate under the course of architecture. Since he wasn’t able to finish his course, he just stayed home, and when he felt like he had nothing to do, he decided to just paint. It eventually became a hobby to him. He’s been painting now for two years.

“Di ko tinapos ang architecture. Wala akong magawa kaya nagpaint nalang ako” (I didn’t finish architecture. Since I had nothing to do, I decided to paint), he said.

Toby Fule said that his inspirations for his subjects are anything that he wants to draw. His personal favorite subjects are still-life and ethnic weaves. He also said that his best works are his ethnic weave paintings displayed in their art exhibit at the IPO Building in Paseo de Roxas.

He had two ethnic weave paintings. “Weaves Patterns”, which shows an ethnic weaved cloth laid in a rattan mat, and “Weaves #2”, which also shows an ethnic weaved cloth laid in bamboo. His use of colors and lines are so detailed that it made the rattan mat and bamboo look real, and made the weaves looked like “woven through paint”.

His other paintings are “Still Life 2”, which shows boxes and baskets of fruits, corn, and lobsters, “Crabs”, which shows an unwrapped wrapper of the said crustaceans, and “Walang Benta”, which shows a worried-looking girl holding a covered basket of her merchandise. “Still Life 2” and “Crabs” has a good mixture of colors that lets you touch the subject by just looking at it. “Walang Benta” used simple strokes in painting the girl, and it also used a simple colored background but it clearly reveals the mood of the subject.

Fule said that his favorite artists are Frida Kahlo because of her very commanding and striking subjects, and Araceli Dans for the flow of his cloth subjects.

He said that the things that pleases him in being a painter is when he was able to meet other artists, to ask them for a few pointers, and when someone sees and appreciates his works. He shows his appreciation for art by attending on art exhibits and going to museums. The bad thing of being an artist for him is that it takes a toll out of his pockets since the materials that he uses are quite expensive.

“A good artist is someone who shares his feelings through his paintings”. That is Fule’s definition of a good artist.

I asked him if he has some advice for those who are aspiring to become an artist. His advice was just simple: “Practice lang nang practice. Huwag ka ma-discourage pag may di nakaka-appreciate sa work mo.” (Keep on practicing. Don’t get discouraged if somebody doesn’t appreciate your work).