By Anna Valmero
HER love for drawing portraits and collecting photographs since childhood led to a business she now dubs a “stylistic preservation of portraits” on canvass.
As I was strolling Shang Ri-La Mall, I chanced upon the month-long Pinoy Pop Art exhibit showcasing 13 pop culture icons of the country painted on canvas.
“The exhibit aims to bring awareness to Filipinos 13 pop icons that can be emulated for their supremacy in their particular field and personal values,” says Bing Bernardo-Gaw, creative head and owner of Gallery 7 or “Art is Me,” the graphics design house that developed the exhibit.
The exhibit included Fernando Poe Jr., Efren “Bata” Reyes” Dolphy, Sharon Cuneta, Judy Ann Santos, The Apo Hiking Society, Gloria Diaz, Gary Valenciano, Michael V., Peque Gallaga, Parokya ni Edgar, Leah Salonga and Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao. Gaw said the they chose the 13 icons from a list of Filipino idols that can inspire Filipinos.
There are plans to bring the exhibit to different malls around the Metro, she says.
Through this exhibit, Gaw hopes to reach out to Filipinos how portraits can be designed to show one’s character.
Portraits can be blown up and be personalized using art styles -- such as Grafotos (their signature style), Japan manga, caricature and Andy Warhol styles -- to show how photos can be customized according to one’s character.
“When I was five, I remember [what] my mom used to say that photographs are important archives of the family, so we cherish our family photos very much,” Gaw says.
A graduate of Fine Arts at UP Diliman, Gaw says her road to designing portraits started in grade school when she drew pictures of teachers.
She had stints in McCahn, J. Walter and an advertising company in Dubai.
After having a family, she started sending pictures of her kids to friends and families in the form of collage, a collection of different photos arranged to form one big picture (now popularly known as photo mosaic).
Driven to spend more quality time with her family coupled with encouragement from friends to make the hobby of graphic designing a business, Gaw started Art Is Me. She used the large format printer that was bought by her mother in 2005 to print campaign materials.
When asked how they manage the intellectual property issues in the design business, Gaw says they differentiate their product with the attention to detail and the quality of printing of their products.
She says Art Is Me is the pioneer in the business here in the country and is competitively priced against similar overseas businesses.
“Pictures are important, they preserve moments in our life and are treasures that can allow us to remember our loves ones even if they have passed away already,” she adds.
HER love for drawing portraits and collecting photographs since childhood led to a business she now dubs a “stylistic preservation of portraits” on canvass.
As I was strolling Shang Ri-La Mall, I chanced upon the month-long Pinoy Pop Art exhibit showcasing 13 pop culture icons of the country painted on canvas.
“The exhibit aims to bring awareness to Filipinos 13 pop icons that can be emulated for their supremacy in their particular field and personal values,” says Bing Bernardo-Gaw, creative head and owner of Gallery 7 or “Art is Me,” the graphics design house that developed the exhibit.
The exhibit included Fernando Poe Jr., Efren “Bata” Reyes” Dolphy, Sharon Cuneta, Judy Ann Santos, The Apo Hiking Society, Gloria Diaz, Gary Valenciano, Michael V., Peque Gallaga, Parokya ni Edgar, Leah Salonga and Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao. Gaw said the they chose the 13 icons from a list of Filipino idols that can inspire Filipinos.
There are plans to bring the exhibit to different malls around the Metro, she says.
Through this exhibit, Gaw hopes to reach out to Filipinos how portraits can be designed to show one’s character.
Portraits can be blown up and be personalized using art styles -- such as Grafotos (their signature style), Japan manga, caricature and Andy Warhol styles -- to show how photos can be customized according to one’s character.
“When I was five, I remember [what] my mom used to say that photographs are important archives of the family, so we cherish our family photos very much,” Gaw says.
A graduate of Fine Arts at UP Diliman, Gaw says her road to designing portraits started in grade school when she drew pictures of teachers.
She had stints in McCahn, J. Walter and an advertising company in Dubai.
After having a family, she started sending pictures of her kids to friends and families in the form of collage, a collection of different photos arranged to form one big picture (now popularly known as photo mosaic).
Driven to spend more quality time with her family coupled with encouragement from friends to make the hobby of graphic designing a business, Gaw started Art Is Me. She used the large format printer that was bought by her mother in 2005 to print campaign materials.
When asked how they manage the intellectual property issues in the design business, Gaw says they differentiate their product with the attention to detail and the quality of printing of their products.
She says Art Is Me is the pioneer in the business here in the country and is competitively priced against similar overseas businesses.
“Pictures are important, they preserve moments in our life and are treasures that can allow us to remember our loves ones even if they have passed away already,” she adds.
















