2007

Artist:    Fred Deasis

Title:    The Cellist  

Medium:  Acrylic impasto

Dimensions:  36 x 48"

Retail Price:   $6,000

On Exhibit at National City Bank, 579 Central Ave., Highland Park, IL

This original artwork can be purchased by contacting Anatomically Correct

Phone 312-514-1802 or email at anatomically@ripco.com

Biography - I am an international artist-printmaker-photographer based in Chicago. Born in the Philippines. My genealogy is traced back to the town of Assisi in the Umbria region of Italy. I do etchings, woodcuts, portrait art commissions and work on various style, medium and genre. I have done inner-city murals and outdoor sculptures which were fun and challenging. My clients are art collectors who find value on the originality of my style and technique.

Currently my focus is on reviving "kut-kut", an ancient Philippine art style and technique based on early century art forms, The art process was handed down from several family generations of Samar province, one of the 7,107 islands of the Philippines. The technique is a combination of ancient art processes --- sgraffito, encaustic and layering. The merging of these ancient techniques produces an original art form characterized by delicate swirling interwoven lines, multi-layered texture and an illusion of three-dimensional space. I learned the technique during my early life from my father and grandfather.

Art is my passion and compulsion. My mission is to revive the lost art and present to the public the beauty and rich history of the ancient art form from the Philippines. These all is for art, culture, and humanity. I am a master practitioner of kut-kut technique in North America. I conduct demos, lectures, and art classes for public and private organizations to revive the lost art form.

Current project is a traveling cultural art exhibit, "Kut-kut -- Lost Art of the Philippines", venues include community art organizations, galleries and public libraries. Planned International tour on 4rth quarter of 2007 to 2008.

My ancestors used bees wax, animal fat, raw materials extracted from exotic tree saps and gums for emulsion. Powdered stones, rocks, pigmentation from tree barks, roots, blood, leaves and organic earth products form the essentials for tints, dyes and exotic colors. Newly finished artworks were placed inside a slotted bamboo box, the bamboo box is then placed in a crawl space of their nipa covered houses for the slow curing process.

My art pieces often take months to complete due to continuous layering, composing, and mixing of tints and dyes to the emulsion and lengthy drying time. I employ Cartesian Grids, Fractals, Fibonacci, and Golden Section formulae for balance and composition.

Through the years, I have developed the use of other art materials to produced better artwork without sacrificing the original ancient technique and style. The catalog collection captures the variations of my technique and style, from monochromatic, dual tone, sepia of early years to the development of complex multi colored exotic pieces. Note that some realistic/impressionist/still life pictures on the catalog were early art projects. They are there to show other facet of my artistic style.
I am the recipient of the 2006 Fil-Am TV Hall of Fame Award in the field of Arts and Culture. The award is for outstanding achievement of an individual in promoting Philippine arts and culture in North America.