Didith Canasa (center) with some of her students
The painting exhibition “The Bulilit (little) Artists: Small Shapes, Big Visions” kicked off on Tuesday, showcasing a total of 40 artworks of children and teenagers.
The Bulilit (little) Artists group was formed in 2003 under the Quezonian Association of Macau as a place for the children and teenagers – mainly from the Filipino community – to spend their spare time during summer holidays.
With an aim to cultivate the children’s interest in arts and painting, the workshop is usually held in July for a month.
For the paintings, the group uses acrylic paint on canvas as it is easy to manage and no toxic.
Led by Philippine-based artist Didith Canasa, the summer painting workshop, which focuses on children, restarted in 2015.
According to Canasa, students in the past have taken art workshops from one year to the next, increasing their understanding of art, sharpening their skills, and teaching them to harness their imaginations for artistic expression.
“I have new students to nurture. We are now doing abstract paintings and at the same time, we also focus on nature paintings as they are preferred by the children,” she said.
“It’s so important for me to teach these skills to these children. I always think of my commitment towards these children who are really eager to learn so I keep coming back” Canasa added.
Canasa also expressed that she has plans to reach out to the Chinese community, particularly associations who conduct painting classes for children with special needs.
A participant of the workshop, 15-year-old Zoe Nava, hoped that such activities could be held in the region, not just on summer holidays.
“This workshop helped me think outside of the box and be creative and just let my mind flow with just expressing my opinion on paper,” she said.
“It’s important for us to have these workshops because there’s not much for youngsters that provide the opportunity to learn, also because of the language barrier here in Macau,” Nava added.
For next year, the group plans to launch a book comprising the paintings created from 2003 up to this year. The exhibition will be held until Saturday.
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