Fernando Sena Class 65
Artist/Art Teacher
- FERNANDO BELEN SENA WAS BORN ON MARCH 30, 1948 IN, TONDO, MANILA IN A FAMILY OF HUMBLE MEANS. HIS LIFE WAS A STRUGGLE AND THE YOUNG SENA HELPED EARN A LIVELIHOOD AS NEWSBOY, BUT SOMETHING GOING FOR SENA WAS HIS TALENT FOR DRAWING WHICH HE SHOWED AN EARLY AGE: HE COULD FEEL THE PEOPLE AND THINGS AROUND HIM AND RECORD HIS IMPRESSIONS ON PAPER. PEOPLE RECOGNIZED THIS, AND AT GREGORIO DEL PILAR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IN TONDO AND THE ARELLANO HIGHSCHOOL IN STA. CRUZ MANILA, HE WAS CONSTANTLY DESIGNATED CLASS ARTIST, ILLUSTRATING FOR CLASS PROJECTS. WHEN HE GRADUATED FROM THE ELEMENTARY AND HIGHSCHOOL HE WAS THE SALUTATURIAN AND RECEIVED THE “MOST OUTSTANDING ART STUDENT” AWARDS, RESPECTIVELY. IT WAS DURING HIGHSCHOOL WHEN HE BEGAN JOINING AND WINNING NATIONAL ART COMPETITIONS. UNABLE TO IMMEDIATELY GO TO COLLEGE, SENA ENROLLED IN THE PAINTING CLASS AT ARELLANO EVENING VOCATIONAL SCHOOL, GRADUATING FIRST HONORS. HIS BREAK CAME WHEN, WHILE READING ONE OF THE NEWSPAPERS HE WAS SELLING, HE LEARNED ABOUT THE FREE SUMMER ART CLASS BEING OFFERED BY THE CHILDREN’S MUSEUM AND LIBRARY INC.(CMLI), AT THE LEGARDA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IN SAMPALOC, MANILA. HE WASTED NO TIME IN ENROLLING AT THE END OF THE TWO MONTH COURSE, SENA WON A CMLI COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIP TO STUDY FINE ARTS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF THE EAST SCHOOL OF MUSIC AND ARTS. RECOGNIZING HIS TALENT AND PERFORMANCE, THE UESMA SIMULTANEOUSLY GRANTED HIM A PAINTING SCHOLARSHIP. HE CONTINUED TO GAIN PAINTING HONORS AND PRIZES IN ART COMPETITIONS, INCLUDING TWICE IN THE NATIONAL STUDENTS ART COMPETETION SPONSORED BY SHELL COMPANY OF THE PHILIPPINES IN 1967 AND IN 1970. AFTER GRADUATING BACHELOR OF FINE ARTS MAJORING IN PAINTING DEGREE IN 1972. SENA LOOKED BACK TO HIS BEGINNINGS AND VOULUNTEERED TO HANDLE CMLI SUMMER AND SATURDAY ART CLASSES FOR ALMOST A DECADE. A DEDICATED TEACHER, UNDER PRIVILEDGED YOUTHS AND CHILDREN, WHOM HE TEACHES FOR FREE, ARE HIS PREFFERED STUDENTS. HE UNSELFISHLY BROUGHT HIS ART WORKSHOPS TO THE DEPRESSED AREAS OF SAPANG PALA, CARMONA CAVITE, SAN BARTOLOME IN MALABON, AND TO ANTIPOLO TAYTAY AND EVEN TABACO, ALBAY. OVERCOMING DIFFICULTIES. IN 1975, HE CONDUCTED ART WORKSHOPS FOR PRISONERS AND CHILDREN AT BAHAY KALINGA IN DASMARINAS, CAVITE. LAST JULY 14 – 15 2010 SENA GAVE FREE ART TRAINING FOR THE YOUTHS AT THE REHABILITATION CENTER OF DEPED, REGION XI IN DAVAO CITY. HE ORGANIZED YOUNG STUDENTS IN TONDO INTO THE KABATAANG TUNDO GROUP (KATAG) AND CONTINUOUSLY TAUGHT THEM PAINTING UNTIL THEY GREW UP AND BECAME ACTIVE IN ASSISTING HIM IN HIS ART WORKSHOPS AND IN CONDUCTING PAINTING EXHIBITIONS AND CONTESTS. SENA’S WORK HAS TOUCHED SO MANY LIVES THAT HE WAS GIVEN THE “TEN MOST OUTSTANDING MANILANS” AWARD IN 1979 FOR HIS ZEAL IN HELPING YOUNG PEOPLE DEVELOP THEIR TALENT IN ART, THE “OUTSTANDING UE COLLEGE OF FINE ARTS ALUMNI” AWARD IN 1986, “MOST DISTISNGUISHED UE ALMUNI” AWARD IN 1989 AND “ MOST OUTSTANDING ALUMNI OF ARELLANO ( NORTH HIGH SCHOOL CLASS ‘ 65”, AMONG NUMEROUS RECOGNITIONS AND CITATIONS. SENA HAS ALSO SERVED AS A FACULTY MEMBER OF THE UE COLLEGE OF FINE ARTS AMD THE UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES COLLEGE OF FINE ARTS. SENA DIVIDES HIS TIME BETWEEN HIS ART WORKSHOPS AND PAINTING. IN 1973 HE HELD HIS FIRST ONE MAN SHOW AT THE LITTLE GALLERY AT THE TESORO BUILDING IN MAKATI. OTHER SOLO SHOWS FOLLOWED AT THE SINING KAMALIG, GALLERY ONE, THE NATIONAL LIBRARY, THE CITY GALLERY, THE MANILA HOTEL, THE PHILAMLIFE LOBBY, SM MEGAMALL AND SHANGRI-LA PLAZA. HE ALSO EXHIBITED GROUP SHOWS AT THE CULTURAL CENTER OF THE PHILIPPINES , THE HOTEL INTERCONTINENTAL MANILA, AND THE SM MEGAMALL, AMONG OTHERS, AND HAS SENT HIS PAINTINGS TO EXHIBITIONS IN GERMANY, BELGIUM AND CHINA. AS A TEACHER, SENA HOLDS THE SINGULAR DISTINCTION OF HAVING AWAKENED HUNDREDS OF STUDENTS AND PROFESSIONALS TO THE JOYS AND CHALLENGES OF ART FOR SEVERAL DECADES NOW. SURELY, GOD MUST BE SMILING AS THIS SERVANT HAS BEEN CONTINOUSLY RETURNING HIS TALENTS TO THE CREATOR. AS A PAINTER, SENA IS KNOWN FOR HIS PANDESAL AND TOY SERIES WHICH SHOWED OFF HIS UNIQUE, METICULOUS, AND EXACTING TECHNIQUE USING PASTEL, ACRYLIC AND OIL. BUT SENA IS A PAINTER OF IMMENSE VERSATILITY, SHIFTING TO OTHER STYLES WITH EASE DEPENDING ON HIS ARTISTIC INTENTION. WHETHER AS A CUBIST, POINTILIST OR AS REALIST-IMPRESSIONIST WHEN PAINTING ON THE SPOT, SENA HAS THE SUPERB ABILITY TO GRAPHICALIZE AND DISTILL MOOD AND ATMOSPHERE THROUGH HIS PERSPECTIVE, CALIBRATED AND ORCHESTRATED HANDLING OF THE ELEMENTS OF LIGHTING, COLOR, COMPOSITION IN HIS PAINTINGS, AND HIS FACILITY AT MAKING MEDIUMS BEHAVE ACCORDING TO HIS PREFERRED EFFECT. FOR SENA IS A MASTER AT TECHNIQUES, THROUGH WHICH MEANS HE MAKES HIS PAINTINGS CONVEY PATHOS OR POETRY, METAPHOR OR VERISIMILITUDE. WITH SENA PAINTING IS A LANGUAGE ALL ITS OWN. SENA’S PAINTINGS HAVE A TACTILE EFFECT, OWNING TO HIS SEDUCTIVE SENSE OF VOLUME AND TEXTURE A CONTROLLED AND HIGHLY NUANCED COLOR AND LIGHT TONALITY; A PERSPECTIVAL EYE FOR COLOR, A WELL-THROUGH OUT COMPOSITION AND EXCELLLENT DRAFTSMANSHIP – HIS HALLMARKS. ALSO NOTED FOR HIS EXQUISITE STILL LIFES, SENA TACKLES A WHOLE RANGE OF SUBJECTS, ALTHOUGH THE EVERYDAY, COMMONPLACE, NON – DRAMATIC MOMENTS AND STATES OF PEOPLE, PLACES AND EVENTS POSE FOR HIM THE GREATER CHALLENGE, FOR THESE BRING TO THE FORE HIS PAINTER’S EYE AND REVEALS HIS INNATE SENSITIVITY. IN SENA, SENSE AND ARTISTRY COALESCE TO PRODUCE A LINGERING HUMAN EXPERIENCE.
- Lives in Quezon City, Philippines
- Born on March 30, 1948
FREE ART WORKSHOP THE ART DISCOVERY AND LEARNING FOUNDATION INC. (ADLFI) in cooperation with the Rotary Club of Makati Pasong Tamo, District 3830 will again hold its FREE art workshop for public and private school teachers in Metro Manila at the MAB Hall of the Philippine Heart Center, East Avenue, Quezon City. The Date is Sunday, October 10, 2010 from 1:00 PM - 6:00 PM. The activities are as follows: 1:00 - 3:00 PM - Demonstration on Sketching Portrait and Figure using 6B pencil and oslo paper or sketchpad. 3:00 - 3:15 PM - Break time 3:15 - 5:00 PM - Demonstration on Pastel and Acrylic Painting on Still Life and Landscape. Participants will bring their own materials like 6B pencil, eraser, sharpener, oslo papers, oil pastel and priece of plywood or cardboard(9x12 inches) The workshop is open to beginners (those who have not attented the ADLFI past free workshop). Registration of participants will be on or before Oct. 10, 2010 and 150 teachers will be accomodated. Application may be mailed to ADLFI Office address or Email to fb_sena48@yahoo.com. For further inquiries please call Mr. Sena at 3762196 or 09189519989. Thank You, Fernando B. Sena ADLFI President and Workshop Instructor
