Robert
Gregorio
[Picture courtesy of J. Bayani]
"I can
recall those happy days forgot." -
Charles Baudelaire
Roosters
crow faintly in the background as his
tsinelas flop urgently against the
pavement. Running shirtless through the
congested street, dust fills his lungs.
Firmly gripping his hand-cut boat [made
from a Magnolia ice cream container], he
arrives just in time. Proudly placing
his unusually large boat, aptly named
Goliath, with the others into the
stream, the race begins. And Robert
Gregorio is a child again.
Born in
Manila and moving to Chicago at the age
of nine, the boy who raced boats with
childlike wonderment and innocent
curiosity still resonates with the man
he is today. He paints images of his
childhood, the details of these
nostalgic, fragmented memories cannot
all be clearly identified. His selection
of rich, earthy tones and vivid
shadowing techniques suggest an
explorative lingering between
imagination and reality through the
unbiased eyes of youth.
After
attaining his degree from Northern
Illinois University, he chose an
unconventional path. Remaining true to
his laissez faire lifestyle, he became a
truck driver, traveling across the
nation, unaware of his destination until
it was assigned. And always embracing
the unexpected, he lived his life on the
road by the philosophy, "One trip, one
load."
As of
late, he has moved back to the Chicago
area, and is currently employed as a
Graphic Artist for a publishing company.
He has recently enrolled in film school,
attempting to satiate his curiosity for
the art.
-written by Natasha A. Gregorio
Selected for the 2008 Beyond The Barrelman
Exhibition
Squatters
oil on
canvas
36 x 48
2006
$3,300
Casanas Street
oil on
canvas
35 x 70
2006
$500
Mount Pinatubo
oil on
canvas
48 x 48
2006
$3,300
To purchase any of
the jury-selected or non-selected artworks listed for sale, please contact Ray
In, exhibition sales coordinator, at (773)
419-4117 or
Sales@BeyondTheBarrelman.com. Items
marked "nfs' are not for sale.
non-selected
entries
EDSA
oil on
canvas
42 x 52
2006
$500
Return to
the FEATURED ARTISTS page
for a full list of artists included in the 2008
exhibition.
Return to
the GALLERY
for a catalog of artworks selected for the
2008 exhibition.
