BENCAB:THE PORTRAIT OF AN ARTIST
We asked Bencab to draw Angel Aquino and walk us through the creative process. The result is a work of heart.

published in CHANNELS Magazine: AUGUST 99: COVER STORY

"TODAY'S supposed to be the longest day, hindi ba? It's the summer solstice."
___ And yet outside the window, the sky is gray and menacing. The silver-bearded man in glasses seems to be lamenting the loss of the day's light which he paints by.

His name is Benedicto Cabrera. He signs his canvases "Bencab". He gardens to clear his mind. And he paints to speak it. It becomes clear to us, that Bencab is a shy man when he is away from the easel. As we interview him, self-conscious laughter peppers his reponses. And his voice rarely rises above a certain volume. For an artist of his stature, the absence of any star ego is refreshing.

THE ART
Even when he starts to share with us the details about his art, he is as relaxed and unhurried as the Astrud Gilberto bossanovas that play in the background of his tranquil Malate studio --- his home away from Baguio:
___ "To come up with a concept takes a while. Because you have to discover something new to paint about. But once you have that momentum, you think about (the idea) day and night. There are times when you think it's great, then you start working and it doesn't come out as you want it. That's when you get stuck."
___ "I have some paintings that have been unfinished for years. There are times I've tried to go back to these paintings. And sometimes it's successful because I get to see other things I didn't before… pero, there are times when it's better to give up. You cover it, or throw it away. Or start from a blank canvas. Sometimes I just put it aside. Then there'll be days when I look at my stockroom and sort of rediscover these unfinished ones."

Dressed in simple jeans and a plaid polo, he continues to tell us how he draws inspiration and ideas from observation, from reading, from pushing around concepts with friends, even from watching the Discovery and National Geographic channels.
___ "Creativity's like that, sometimes," he says with a grin. "It will just click. But of course, I have also the discipline which is…drawing. That's why I like drawing from life. Like what we're going to do today, a portrait. Since you have the subject right in front of you, you deal with it right there and then."

THE ARTIST
A blank board is already mounted on his easel, oil pastels and charcoal pencils on a nearby stand. But the sky is dark with rain. By the time our photographer Pancho and our portrait model Angel Aquino are ready for the session, the remaining light is dim and Bencab is explaining how natural light is always softer than artificial light, and how bulbs add colors that aren't really there. We ask how he would describe himself as an artist.
___ "I think I'm an inquisitive artist. I'm always interested in a lot of things. I never limit myself to painting…I get into projects sometimes, like the Tam-awan Village in Baguio (the artist's haven/Ifugao cultural preserve which Bencab runs). I didn't envision that I was going to put up a village, but it falls into my lap. And you adjust yourself."
___ "I guess, you can say I'm…balanced? (laughs) I mean, I can be introspective and extroverted… I just want to be alone sometimes, and do my gardening. But right now, I'm in a situation where it's hard to be alone. People call you. You become a …celebrity artist---parang ganoon (laughs self-consciously). I get involved in so many things, and I'm very accommodating. I'll be asked to judge something…and I'll say yes. But it's one way also of sharing your knowledge."

And sharing is something he enjoys. Especially within workshops. Teaching however, is a totally different matter. "I don't think I'm a good teacher, I'm more of a doer. I prefer just working with my hands. Sometimes I'd rather be a follower than a leader, but I get into situations where I'm forced to lead."

In stark contrast to the solitary act of painting, Bencab heads Tam-awan Village and is a manager, not just an artist. But the two roles do complement one another. As he tells us, decision-making is key in both tasks: "I like to work fast. In painting, you have to be decisive. So usually I do, say, a 30-minute painting, and then I stop. Do something else. You stop painting when you feel it's right."

THE SUBJECT
While Bencab draws a human face from simple charcoal strokes, and Pancho captures the process on his camera, on the other side of the easel, Angel Aquino is a picture of quiet humility. No airs. No ego. She understands what an honor it is to appear on this drawing.
___ We ask Bencab what draws him to a certain subject and he replies, "…If the subject is interesting. Say, Pepe Smith, who has a very interesting face. There are faces that are easy to draw, unforgettable. Exaggerations in their features make it easy. For Angel? It'd be her eyes and high cheekbones. Her features are so delicate… I have to use delicate lines."
___ But the lines on the canvas aren't turning out exactly as the artist would like. After several fasle-starts, Bencab puts his pencils down and asks if Angel can return tomorrow morning, when the light has returned.

MATTERS OF THE ART
We retire to the living room and talk about each other's artistic interests: acting, photography, dance, writing. Amazing what topics you turn to while waiting for the food to arrive.

ANGEL: I'm having a hard time acting my role in this movie I'm doing. It's directed by Chito Rono. I play a woman who's palaging galit, masama ang loob, then she gets bitter. In the movie, I age… and my character is raped at age 50. How do you move when you're 50 and you're being raped? It's hard. Your silhouette changes. The movie's taken three months. I still have five days to go. They always tell me, "Just let go. If you need to shout, shout." But that's not me.
BENCAB: Wala sa karakter, ano?. My daughter, si Mayumi, is doing that-- taking acting lessons. It's tough. Nagsawa na rin siya sa modelling. She's been at it since she was 15. She's now 26? For a model, that's old.
ANGEL: I want to do that. Go to the States take lessons. If I want to take this seriously…
BENCAB: (to Pancho) Ang daming exposure ang nagamit ninyo.
PANCHO: No, that's normal.
BENCAB: How many rolls did you shoot today? Ten?
PANCHO: A lillt more, I think.
BENCAB: Tapos hindi ko pa matuloy.

Bencab, to our amazement, is apologizing for not being able to get into the proper swing, for not being able to do the portrait today. We tell him it's okay. It's the grey sky and the change in working environ, what with all the cameras clicking and all the people suddenly in his studio. There is, after all, tomorrow.

DAY TWO
The next day, the sun is up. And Bencab is on a roll. Angel's face materializes on the paper not once, but five different times, as the artist breathes life into his two-dimensional work. The shy man is replaced by the silent, intense artist.
___ When the session is over, Angel is awestruck at the likeness. Especially the way Bencab has captured her eyes on the central image. "Those are my eyes!"
___ He is adding the final touches to the portrait, blending more color into the background. We ask him if he's ever spoiled an artwork this way. "Minsan," he says. "Nasosobra, o nadudumihan ng kulay sa kamay mo. You have to know when to stop."

It is Pancho's turn to create a portrait-- this time with lens and film. And Bencab quickly reverts to the self-conscious interviewee as he stands behind Angel for the final shot. Pancho asks Bencab to smile a little. The result is a slight upturning at the corners of his mouth.

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