Portrait Sketching @ Tam-awan

Cuzin' from Davao is visiting us here again. Yesterday, a popped-up invite from cuzin'  (Davao) to go up to Baguio was entertained for one minute and discarded the next minute. We heard how cold ( even hit 9-10 c last week? )  it is now in the city and thu' excited about inhaling the cold wind and exhaling a foggy breath, time was not on our side. We decided to drove up to the nearer Tagaytay instead. But that would be on the next post. 




Baguio City to me anyway is not just all about the cold weather. It's also an artists' and art enthusiast mom's haven. Tam-awan Village is one spot  we enjoyed during our last month visit to the city of walis na tambo.

Older daughter ( who actually is loaded with school painting works herself )  couldn't resist the opportunity to sit still and be the one painted instead.




For only P100 and 10 to 15 minutes, daughter dared to sit still and experience how the one being sketched, instead of the usual the other way around ( she also sketch ).


The clock and pencil swayed swiftly together. . .

tic. . .shading eyes

toc. . . shading nose

tic. . . shading hair

tic. . . almost done. . .

spectators : is it done yet ??????

Here's the finished work :

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 - - - ^^- - - hahahaha!!!!! nah!!!!

Here's for real :

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gud job!




The Benguet artist- admiring or questioning his work, haha.

Nice.
-end-

Tam-Awan Craft Shop

A whaaat???. . . can't figure it out. Can you?








Now let's get to an easy-peasy ones. Miniature Igorot huts for P1k++ each, which authentic-life size ones could also be seen in this museum village _ Tam-Awan Village in Baguio City.

I love visiting ( and buying..) souvenir/craft shops of the places I go to with my girls. It's one way of exposing them to the culture and arts of that certain place.




It's educational . It's like going to a museum sans the ingestion  of a lonely boring place . Apart from the culture and art enhancement, it's also my way of cultivating individualism to my girls.




I always see my girls' eyes light- up with mine everytime we see others' creations. They evoke mixed beautiful feelings of appreciation, amazement and motivation_ moving us to either purchase ( only if we could afford it) them so we could mark an ownership or to awaken our own sense of creativity and put it to work later when we get home.

Products are limited, normally hand made/crafted and only sold here. Unlike those that can be found in the malls which are mass produced and everyone has access to. I always instilled to my girls the beauty of being different and not to be just another one of them. Fashion is a personal statement not a thing to be followed but to lead is a glory. Wow, how's that from your stay home mom ;)))




Well, another sure thing_ creativity is a way of life here. An ignition to fire your own, in case it's presently sleeping or it hasn't risen ever yet.

wood crafts showing tribal culture

wooden mask wall decors

chess set made of weighty metals

wooden pipes

trinkets box or an urn for your ashes ?

bamboo flutes




souvenir key chains for everyone

voodoo doll rings which my witch daughter  couldn't resist, she bought plenty.




more tribal creations for your living room and kitchen




Now, since this post started with a mind boggling art work of a Cordillera artist, I'm leaving you this : Which living thing you think was used as inspiration for art work items above if not a mushroom?

Tam-Awan Village

Everytime I'm in Baguio, I always entertain the idea of extending my visit to the rest of  Cordillera Region_ Banaue Rice Terraces in Ifugao, Sumaguing Cave in Sagada, mummy caves in Benguet and Mt. Province, the second highest mountain in the Phils.-Mt. Pulag, etc,etc...more natural/cultural wonders which I haven't seen up to now.

If it's only me, I could easily drag my feet to those places. In my recent visit to Baguio last weekend, I was pretty sure it was not yet the right time. I was with a portion of my clan with willing attitudes but health conditions and ages opposed. Well, better luck next time to myself!

So, I dragged them to the nearest Cordillera concept possible_ to Tam-Awan Village. Only 30 minutes drive from the hotel we were staying, Tam-Awan was approximately 20 minutes away from downtown Baguio.

Everyone was excited, including myself cos just like the rest of the group, it was also my first time here. Except for a random browsing I did shortly over the internet, I hardly knew the place. We were given each a walking tour map of the village  and only right there and then I was able to grasp some facts about the place.




Tam-Awan Village resembled a traditional Cordillera Village. It started with some knockdown huts transported from Ifugao. A typical Ifugao house is built without nails or hardware. usually made of hard wood and proven to last several generations with only minimal maintenance of periodic re-roofing.

The other Ifugao huts and Kalinga houses in the village were built on the spot by clever mortise makers, using original materials.

Those are bul-ols or rice gods which the natives believe guard their harvest. This Alang (Rice Granary-Bontoc) was built in 1950 but was only acquired in 2006.

That bamboo bridge was elevated too much higher  for my cousins' weak knees : ))))). Well, it was like just a walk in the park for me, naks*winks*. Actually, not that high but the muddy rock steps were quite slippery which made going up there a bit of a challenge.

Every corner of the village spoke of Cordillera's art and culture.








The Luccong House is where Igorot women stay overnight if they want to get pregnant. Wella. . cuzin' what were you doing there?

Bugnay Hut is for middle class family. Make sure to take off your shoes before you enter ;)

At the time of our visit it was being utilized as a gallery. There were so much interesting paintings inside.

Seemed satisfied with the few huts they saw, my clan headed down to the main gallery and the art and craft shop. Had they really had enough of the houses or just chicken hearten to see other huts which locations needed a stronger knees:))) Passing by the portrait sketching area, Older daughter made a mental note to avail of the experience for only P100, done in 15 minutes.

She did later on. here.

At the main gallery, younger daughter was quite astonished with this interactive art which I assumed was part of the remains of the recent Halloween

Well, it's art. Not everyone could grasp what the artist tried to convey. Or was it we just didn't have time to analyze it. There was a tomb marker that asked to write your name in it. Death wish?

Moving on, the ladies had a blast checking  the art works for sale in the shop. Did they purchase any? I don't think so.

The tour ended_ whereelse? But at the cafe' ofcourse! You could visit my food blog now for the beautiful Tam-Awan Village Cafe'.