LIGHTBRINGER

LIGHTBRINGER : The works of Catoy del Valle

Catoy’s watercolor style was developed by learning from some of the foremost contemporary artists in the country like Lito Ballaran, Iris Babao-Uy, Dino Pajao, and world-renowned masters such as Indian artist Prafull Sawant, Japanese watercolorist Yuko Nagayama, Jason Yeoh from Singapore and Europe’s Alvaro Castagnet. Some of them became friends whom she admired and eventually became friends who equally loved and adored her. 

Catoy loved to paint the water and the sky. Her skies were always brilliantly colored - as if to remind us that a glorious heaven is always there, watching over us, and filling our lives with hope.  

One of her favorite themes were still boats on calm waters. The boats, always balanced and steady, while the water is unperturbed reflecting the tucked sails, the tall masts, and the solid structures of the vessels.  Perhaps a desire or a reminder to herself to be still and steady to find the serenity around us.

Her paintings of snow are reminiscences of her time in Nagano. Fallen snow on bare trees against a pristine white snowscape with an almost a nostalgic black and white filter - portraying quiet and tranquility.

‘Bordeaux’ was her favorite color and a staple hue in her landscapes. She would describe this as a deep reddish-purple, so rich and velvety, matching her own passionate and fiery nature. Who can forget her intense and frenzied laughter?  And the energy she pours when she commits to her work, to her paintings, and her friends.  

She also painted those that she loved most - her family, friends, and her cats. Whimsical and spontaneous, she loved to paint those that were dear to her.

There are no pretensions in Catoy’s art.  Her art is deliberate and sure. Just as we remember her, and her comforting words: true, honest, straight forward but kind and reassuring.

It takes a special sensitivity in an artist to paint light. In watercolor, every artist is careful to ‘preserve the white’ of the paper. But the key to a luminous painting is the careful manipulation of the dark tones.

This is the task of the Lightbringer, to help us preserve the light by teaching us to see the full spectrum and to boldly embrace the darkness as well.