Maia Enriquez

Halimuyak, (2017)

Acrylic on canvass, 12″ x 16″

Halimuyak was inspired by a dream I had several years ago. Chasing something has been a common theme of my dreams. But I always seem to encounter a hindrance — falling over and over again, being literally dragged down by someone, or being stuck in thorns.

This image stuck with me even after I woke up. But I don’t want to focus too much on the idea of “being stuck,” so I made sure that the heroine of my painting would be calm, graceful, and dignified. The roses are there because I can’t remember what I was chasing after in my dream, and roses among the thorns just seem natural.

This was my first attempt to recreate the “Filipina beauty” through my artwork. The proportions are all wrong (I know :D), and the hair definitely needs improvement, but I’m really glad with how the skin-tone turned out. This is how I want the heroines of my paintings to look — bright, brown, and reddened by the tropical sun, the natural color of the Filipinos.