“COFFEE SELFIE” (Commissioned)
COMMISSIONED by a client in Manila
“COFFEE SELFIE”, 2018
Cherie Altea
Acrylic / Mixed-Media on Canvas
30 x 40 in.
SGD $3,120
Several firsts in this breakthrough painting:
- first time to use an orange background,
- first time to have the woman at an angle, and
- first time to paint a woman doing something.
Dressed in a Spanish colonial-era mestiza dress, this commissioned work pays homage to this artist’s roots, a personal piece that celebrates the Western backbone in Philippine history and modern day pop culture. I thought it would be fun to reimagine the Maria Clara version of the baro’t-saya (a style of Filipino colonial dress for women.) Traditionally done in natural cream-colored fibres, the artwork is a tribute to the vibrant colors from where the galleon expeditions originated: Spain and Mexico.
