His success was unexpected as he
never saw it coming. He just pushed through with his passion and devoted his
time in creating his breathtaking and vibrant masterpieces. He started from a single
detail and passionately worked the concept forming a complex art work. His
vibrant art depicts his personality and ingenuity.
He
is Larry Esmolo Carumba, a bonafide Victoriahanon who has worked in Saudi
Arabia for 23 years. Despite having no formal education in visual arts, still
he was able to paint his way to success, gained numerous awards and
recognitions and was the only Filipino invited in exclusive art exhibitions of
famous Saudi artists.
His
latest recognition is the Bagong Bayani 2013 for Culture and the Arts given
last Sept. 22 at the Philippine International Convention Center. It is an
acknowledgment of his excellence as a Filipino with exceptional talent and
incomparable performance in the arts. Undoubtedly, he has brought pride to the
country through his global achievements.
Being
a true blooded Victoriahanon, Victorias City welcomed him and hosted a cocktail
to honor his international achievements at the Victorias City Hall along with
the City officials, department heads, barangay officials, family, friends and
people dear to Carumba last Sept. 25. Mayor Francis Frederick Palanca gave
Carumba a plaque of commendation while the Sangguniang Panlungsod Members
headed by Vice Mayor Jerry Jover also presented their resolution of
commendation for the achievement of Carumba in the field of visual arts, making
many Victoriahanons and Filipinos proud.
Mayor
Palanca wished that many Victoriahanons will become like Carumba and that he,
as a very talented icon will inspire more Victoriahanons to excel in different
fields here and abroad. Carumba gave Mayor Palanca one of his paintings, “Ang
Mangga” in appreciation of his warm welcome and support.
In
Saudi Arabia, Carumba works as a secretary in Mediserv Medical Supplies &
Services Co. Ltd. and continues to devote his time in painting after work. His
daily routine would be work from 8am to 5pm at the office, rest and dine from
5pm to 8pm and starts painting from 8pm to 2am. He devotes time to his
masterpieces which will take a month or more to finish depending on the details
of the painting. He was known for his vibrant subjects depicting nature and
clean lines on huge canvasses using his medium, acrylic.
After
honing his talent and having discovered his own style, he joined the
International Art Exhibition in October 2010 and was the first ever Filipino to
have joined the prestigious art exhibition in the Middle East. With him were
reputable artists coming from South Korea, the United States, Switzerland,
Bahrain, Egypt and Syria, among others. With his exceptional style and ideas
conveyed through his contemporary realism masterpieces, the Saudi art community
was very impressed with his works.
He
successfully launched his first solo exhibit in December 2010 and eventually
received numerous citations, awards and recognitions from various art groups
from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and other countries as well. He has only
launched his works of art to the international market 4 years ago and it was
well accepted by his clients of different nationalities. His creations are a
product of his experimentation on subjects from nature for almost 23 years. His
painting from a single concept to an incorporation of all his designs and ideas
using the different approach of taming acrylic on canvass has made Carumba a
well-accepted artist in the international market. His clients were Princess
Ghada Abdulaziz Bint Al Saud- Saudi, Nedal Lababidi – Owner of Global Resources
Inc., CEO of British Aerospace – King Abdulaziz Airbase, Filipino Ambassador of
Kuwait and Riyadh, Owner of Holiday Inn and prominent people and art collectors
from Greek, South Africa, Lebanese, Americans, British, Australians,
Jordanians, Japanese, among others.
Before
his success, he had gone though a lot of sacrifices and one of these was when he
decided to become a working student during his college days due to financial
constraints and with the aim of helping his parents. He works at the library of
the Victorias Milling Company by day and studies Business Management at La
Salle Victorias by night.
His
limited resources never stopped him from pursuing his passion. Before, he used
to experiment with whatever materials available like liquid eraser and yellow
marker and when he went abroad to uplift his family’s economic situation, he
was able to purchase painting materials and developed his skills year after
year on his own.
His
advice to aspiring young artists is that in spite of scarce resources, one must
still be able to continue the passion in ones heart and never stop. “Work hard
and grab the opportunity may it be big or small” Carumba said. His successes including the “Bagong Bayani
Award” was unexpected and were from God. “I nurtured God’s given-talent” he
added.
His
paintings won the People’s Choice award at the 3rd International Art Exhibition
in 2011, Grand Prize and 2nd Place in a painting competition held in Al Khobar
during the Philippine Independence Day celebration in 2012. He was also a
finalist at the New York Art Takes Times Square competition and was featured in
Times Square in the same year. He even won the Best in Show Artist of British
Aerospace in 2013.
He
was recently invited as an Honorary Guest in the 4th International Art
Exhibition held in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia at the most prestigious King
Abdulaziz Science and Technology Research Center in Al Khobar.
Carumba, as he goes back to Saudi
will focus on getting clients from the corporate market in the Philippines
particularly in Manila as he will accumulate collections for his exhibit in
Manila next year.
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