‘Balai-Balai ni Tey’ exhibit features mosaics and paintings

Story by: Glazyl Y. Masculino

Photos by: Ihvonie Tey Sevilleno

“Balai-Balai” can be about playing house or talking about many houses, but for a local artist, it can mean several things wherein she can openly express herself and share her craft through art.

Ihvonie Tey Sevilleno is a visual artist and writer who likes to travel alone or with like minds.

Also known as “TeySev,” she paints moments and places as she travels in and around the Philippines and Southeast Asian countries.

While traveling, she finds time to teach art to children who don’t have access to workshops yet are interested to learn art.

Though it proved to be bit challenging for her, Sevilleno has traveled to far-flung areas and trek mountains to reach indigenous people so she can share her passion, knowledge, and skills in her crafts.

She also visits neighboring towns and cities for workshops and art-tours, oftentimes, to the delight of her friends, surprising them for a visit.

Listening to pop or classical music, and just anything that takes her fancy, Sevilleno breaks tiles for her mosaic pieces; at times she writes for her art and travel blog thefatgoddess.com.

She started her love for painting in September 2015 when she went to all the temples and ruins in Bangkok, Thailand.

In a short visit to the old ruins of Ayutthaya empire, she saw this lady perched on a big rock totally engrossed in painting the temple ruins.

“I saw her so focused on what she was doing but she has the slightest smile on her lips and twinkle in her eyes. Although the mind, eye, hand were all in a flurry of energy, she painted with pure happiness in her face. Then it hit me: I envied her calmness. I then promised myself that when I go back to Manila, I will buy a brush, some paper, and paint,” she added.

In October 2015, she painted and posted her first monochrome watercolor painting entitled “Loneliness” on her blog.

At present, she has 60 art pieces – 11 Mosaics made with hand-cut ceramic tile tessarae, sea glass, and colored glass, 19 watercolor paintings, and 30 mini paintings and mosaics displayed at Modern Hut Café in Bacolod City.

In this exhibit, I am both inspired by my travels to the islands of Palawan and along the way, I was inspired by how kids still play indigenous games inspite of gadgets and digital games. This is definitely my love letter to my childhood and my love for our islands, she said.

An artist, a travel and art writer, as well as a PR/Marketing person, Sevilleno works continuously to reach new heights and challenges, but not without stopping not only to smell the flowers but moreso, to catch up with friends and loved ones along the way.

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