"Winged Hope" is very personal to me. It was inspired by the first flash fiction I wrote on farmed animals' plight. Titled "Kin," I penned down the flash while attending a creative writing workshop conducted by a former radio producer and fiction writer back in 2014 in Kuwait. 

"Kin" was the story of my first personal attachment with a farmed animal when I was a kid. It was the first time I experienced a flash of hope for pigs and other animals, which eventually paved the way to my becoming an animal rights advocate later in life. 

This artwork was my official entry to the 2024 calendar of The Art of Compassion Project, a fundraising initiative in aid of The Farm Animal Sanctuary UK. It was selected as one of the artworks to be featured in the calendar, which can be purchased in print-on-demand format here.

"Winged Hope" and "Kin" will be included in my upcoming 2nd book of poetry and prose.

"Save the Sea" is a reminder of how people should show respect to the sea and its inhabitants through awareness and continuous advocacy. Everyone should be responsible in working towards its conservation and protection. All marine animals have the same right to self autonomy as they are sentient beings as humans. This piece shows marine life at the brink of extinction, while hope remains futile as many of us just watch it face destruction without taking any sort of action.

The artwork was my official entry to the art auction of The Art of Compassion Project at VegFest UK held in Olympia, London from 18-19 November 2023. The exhibit was in aid of two animal sanctuaries, Friends of Philip Fish and the Big Red Rooster, Cockerel Rescue.

The sketch on the left was inspired by a rose-breasted cockatoo (galah), Polly, who was adopted by a friend from a local sanctuary.

On the right is my sketch of a pigeon. Feral pigeons are among the most misunderstood, often vilified, animals. We treat them as pests, and yet we were the ones that had brought them here, domesticating and using them for our own means for centuries. You'd be surprised at how gentle and smart they truly are.

A special piece that I made way back in 2021 is my entry to the Nourishing with Heart 3D exhibition organized by the Art of Compassion Project. 

It is sadly how humans treat fish as compared with the rest of the animal world. Besides insects and reptiles, fish and marine animals are often looked over, even within the animal welfare community. I'm hoping to contribute to changing this view through my art. 

"Mayumi", a name that is relatively used in Japan and the Philippines, is the first entry to my second farmed animal series addressing animal personhood. The series will comprise mainly of minimalist portraits of animals that have been bred to be exploited by the animal agribusiness. The artworks are mostly portraits and caricatures which exclude any representations of captivity. 

Apart from validating their identity, the names assigned to each animal, even though open for interpretation based on their own merits and cultural references, will primarily reflect the animal's personality. Mayumi, in this instance, can mean gentle and demure, as in the Tagalog definition.

In this series, the animals will be seen as people, not as commodities, and that we are here to respect their individual autonomy.  

Animals Are People, Too

Since I’m back to painting and catching up on other stuff, I’m also all hyped at getting back to my advocacy. These new untitled artworks will be some of my entries to the upcoming exhibit of The Art of Compassion Project, a vegan artists collective, at the upcoming VegFestUK online art auction in August.

I love this artists collective so much because of its staunch dedication to promoting veganism through creativity. Through my contribution, I hope I’d be able to help, in little ways, spread the message of nonviolence and animal emancipation.

Animals Deserve a Chance at Life 

Focusing on Animal Rights 

Art for the Most Vulnerable 

What struck me the most while creating these pieces was my disbelief that I managed to pull off lighter compositions despite the grim realities screaming behind these sketches. These artworks are the closest to my heart as they depict the young and the most vulnerable among the animals. "Gentle Lullabies," "Milking Innocence," "Blood on the Nest," and "Waiting for a Better Home" sealed my decision to pursue art projects for the animals.