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Cyril Maza Plays Bayan Ko in Mandolin

August 29th, 2020

Cyril Maza Plays Bayan Ko in Mandolin

In the attached video, Cyril plays "Bayan Ko" or "My Country". It is a song sung by Freddie Aguilar.

Below is the lyrics of this song:

Ang bayan kong Pilipinas
Lupain ng ginto't bulaklak
Pag-ibig na sa kanyang palad
Nag-alay ng ganda't dilag
At sa kanyang yumi at ganda
Dayuhan ay nahalina
Bayan ko, binihag ka
Nasadlak sa dusa
Ibon mang may layang lumipad
Kulungin mo at umiiyak
Bayan pa kayang sakdal-dilag
Ang 'di magnasang makaalpas
Pilipinas kong minumutya
Pugad ng luha at dalita
Aking adhika
Makita kang sakdal laya
Ibon mang may layang…

A melodic translation of this song goes like this:

Philippines, my country, my homeland,
Gold and flowers in her heart abound,
Blessings on her fate did love bestow,
Sweet beauty's grace and splendor's glow.
How her charms so kind and tender
Drove the stranger to desire her;
Land of mine, in fetters kept,
You suffered as we wept.

Birds that freely claim the skies to fly
When imprisoned mourn, protest and cry!
How more deeply will a land most fair,
Yearn to break the chains of sad despair?
Philippines, my life's sole burning fire,
Cradle of my tears, my misery;
All that I desire:
To see you rise, forever free!

Cyril Maza Video Playing Mandolin

August 29th, 2020

Cyril Maza Video Playing Mandolin

Cyril learned to play bandolin and banduria when he was in grade school in the Philippines.

The Philippine banduria is a 14-stringed musical instrument. The Philippine bandolin, on the other hand, is similar to mandolin but is thicker and is tuned and played differently. Cyril modified the tuning of his mandolin so he can play it the way he played the Philippine bandolin.

Watch him play "Gaano Ko Ikaw Kamahal" (Celeste Legaspi) here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yt1vqX_OQQA

Watch him play "El Bimbo" (Bmbo Jet) here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8GkVWVGPAk

Watch him play "play “Sa Ugoy ng Duyan” (Lea Salonga) here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJhi-LbXKYM

Watch him play "Bayan Ko" (Freddie Aguilar) here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rETZ9dvN6LU

Billboard Contest Entries

July 16th, 2019

I just joined the Billboard Contest in FineArtAmerica, and I need at least 250 votes to pass the first elimination round.

Five lucky winners will have their artwork featured on billboards throughout Los Angeles!
Each billboard will be at least 24 feet wide by 12 feet tall and will prominently feature the winning image, the title of the image, and the artist’s name or his/her preferred social media handle.

The billboards will be positioned around Los Angeles and Santa Monica and will remain visible for at least two months, each, throughout the fall and winter of 2019.

Here are the links to my entries:

1.) A Moment with Dad.
https://fineartamerica.com/contests/billboard-contest.html?tab=vote&artworkid=6408980

2.) Come Take a Dip.
https://fineartamerica.com/contests/billboard-contest.html?tab=vote&artworkid=25861592

2.) Dipping.
https://fineartamerica.com/contests/billboard-contest.html?tab=vote&artworkid=25861688

Please vote for my art works! :)

I submitted three entries. You may vote up to 25 images, but only once per image. Voting ends on July 31, 2019.

Thank you so much.

Cyril Maza

Houston Public Media Covers Artists On Board Exhibit

June 3rd, 2016

We're in the news!

Amy Bishop of Houston Public Media just recently released a news article covering Art DeckCo's Artist on Board Skateboard Art Exhibit in Galerie Spectra.

She went to Galerie Spectra last Friday, 27th of May 2016, to interview a number of artists who are participating in the current ArtDeckCo Exhibit. My wife and I were among those who were interviewed. She also interviewed Katherine Sloan, who is one of the founders of ArtDeckCo.

Read more.

ArtDeckCo Skateboard Art Display at Galerie Spectra

June 3rd, 2016


ArtDeckCo Skateboard Company is currently displaying over one hundred and fifty skateboard arts in the back rooms of Galerie Spectra. Featured are skateboard arts by local Houston artists, as well as, other artists from all over the United States.



The event, dubbed "Artists on Board", started yesterday, 13th of May, with an artists' reception from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm. Refreshments, which included coffee by Mug Life, were served. The reception was free and open to the public. Harp music was also provided by Virtuosi and by DJ Entertainment.



Participating Houston local artists include Rona Lesser, David Mortensen, George Daniels, Sharon Worley, Nan Toole, Jim Padgett, Robbie Peters, Chris Rogers, Darlene Abdouch, Charles Wallis, Yvonne Ybarra, Beatriz Clarke, Cyril Maza, Lorna Maza, Michael Blome, Kim Erickson, Dennis Fehr, Mary Lusk, Jim Adams, D'Montserrat, and Suzanne Buckland.



The show will end on the 9th of June, 2016.





My own skateboard art "The Rooster"






Galerie Spectra




Harp Music Provided by Virtuosi in the Main Gallery




DJ Entertainment at the Back Rooms




Free Refreshments




Lorna's "Circles" Sits on the Table Among Other Beautiful Skateboard Arts




Lorna Painted Both Sides of Her Skateboard. Shown Here Is the Other Side of Her "Circles" Skateboard.




My Very Own "The Rooster" Shown in the Lower Left Quadrant of this Photo




Kate Sloan, Co-owner of ArtDecko Skateboard Company




Beautiful Skateboard Arts...




More Skateboard Arts...




Meghna Patil Participated in This Event with Her Own Skateboard Art Entry




Still, More Skateboard Arts...

Galerie Spectra First Year Anniversary Celebration

May 16th, 2016

Galerie Spectra celebrated its first anniversary last Friday, 11 March 2016, with an artists reception from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm.
That night is also the start of their monthly exhibition, which runs through April 13. The exhibition features the works of the following local artists, in alphabetical order:

Adam Donleavy
Barb Blu
Beatriz Clarke
Cyril Maza
Daniel Houston
Darlene Abdouch
David Vander Linden
Dennis Fehr
Jim Adams
Josepth Culotta
Kim Erickson
Lorena Fernandez
Lorna Maza
Lou Sprinter
Margaret Bailey
Mark Lusk
MaryAnn Lucas
Maureen Low
Michael Blome
Nan Toole
Norman Gabitzch
Stutz
Richard Eastman
Rona Lesser
Suzanne Buckland
Yvonne Ybarra
Zilla Adams
Zuki

It also includes special installations by Kelly Stewart and byArtist of the Month David Mortensen, at the back rooms of the gallery. There is also a sale of small art works, displayed on grids and tables, priced at $100 each.
Entertainment during the celebration was provided by Virtuosi of Houston.
Galerie Spectra is located at 303 Memorial City Way, Set 822, Houston TX. It is inside the Memorial City Mall, at the north entrance between Macy's and Dillar's. It is open during mall hours.




An article from Houston Chronicle, dated 12-18 March 2015, tells about the story behind the opening of a new gallery inside the Memorial City Mall.




Lorna Maza and Vella Almazan taking selfies inside the gallery.





Cyril Maza posing by the works of a fellow Houston artist, Kelly Stewart, in one of the back rooms of Galerie Spectra





Two of Lorna Maza's paintings.





Members of the Galerie Spectra posing for some pictures.





Members of the Galerie Spectra posing for some pictures.





Virtuosi of Houston provided musical entertainment during the celebration.





Hallway towards the back rooms of Galerie Spectra.




Earth, Sky, and Space

May 16th, 2016


Lorna and I are glad to have participated in the "Earth, Sky and Space" Fine Art Exhibit, which was held last Sunday, 15 May 2016. This event was held at the Johnson Space Center, Gilruth Center, Alamo Ballroom, 2101 NASA Parkway, Houston TX 77058.



Lorna and I, combined, had a total of ten artworks on display at this event.



The event was participated in by a long list of Houston local artists, which include: Daniel Houston, Anna Jimenez, Cedric Akue, Jennifer Lang, Gordon Greenleaf, Ana Ramos, Rona Lesser, David Vander Linden, D'Montserrat, Vella Almazan, Alex Galloway, Lorna Maza, Cyril Maza, Zilla Adams, Zuki, Shirley Scarpetta, JP Harman, Tyler Kay, David Mortensen, Lisa Hardcorn, Dmitry Nevezhay, Jose Ramirez, Holly Denslow, Ted Shaw, Rodolfo Banuelos, Louis Monnich III, Beth LeBlanc, Kerry Ramirez, Jim Padgett, Darlene Abdouch, Bianca Postel, Madly Art & Design, Gabino Torres, Iris Forbes, and Ana Romo-Shaw.



The event was hosted by Spectra Artists, Inc., a Texas non-profit corporation based in Houston, Texas. Spectra Artists run the Galerie Spectra located inside the Memorial City Mall, at 303 Memorial City Way, Unit #822, Houston TX 77024. They also display art works at other venues. They currently have an artwork display at Salon Sky, which is at 12651 Memorial Drive, Houston TX.



The "Earth, Sky and Space" event was chaired by Julio and Kerry Ramirez.











How I Started as an Artist

March 22nd, 2016


Painting is one of the things I have wanted to do since I was a little kid, but never really had the chance to do on a regular basis until I reached the age of 39.


When I was a kid, I liked to drawvery much. Drawing was one of my favorite hobbies. I drew people, trees, mountains, buildings, airplanes, cars, and just aboutevery other thing I saw around me.My special talent and artistic inclination had been noticed bypeople around me at my early age.They had helped me earn excellent grades in my art subjects in school, as well as,enjoy the admiration of people around me. I still remember how my classmates used to come to me, asking me to draw something for them. I just wish I could have painted on canvas also, but I just never really had the chance to do it, perhaps due to lack of resources. No one in my family had ever been in the fine art industry, and I had never been really exposed to paints and canvas panels until I reached the age of 39.

In 1981, my family and I went to Indonesia, where my father was working as a consultant agricultural engineer. We stayed there for two years, one year in Lampung (in the island of Sumatra) and another year in Jakarta (in the island of Java). My siblings and I studied in the Home Instruction Department of Calvert School, which is in Baltimore, Maryland, USA, during our first year. The following year, we studied in Jakarta International School (JIS), where I took Fine Arts as an elective subject throughout the whole year. There, I learned the basics of drawing, painting, batik making, pottery, calligraphy, candle making, linoleum printmaking, and other works of art.

My father, Renato B. Maza, also taught my siblings and I, how to draw perspectives. He used to arrange empty card board boxes on our dining table and then ask us to draw two-point perspectives of them. What he taught us has greatly influenced my works, from my school projects in high school and college to my later works as an engineer and as an artist.

We returned to Infanta, Quezon, in 1983, and I continued my secondary education in Mt. Carmel High School (MCHS). Nic Mendigo, one of my teachers happened to be a Fine Arts graduate from the University of the Philippines (UP). He taught us (my classmates and me) how to draw and to capture the effects of light and shadow in our drawings. He even made us draw portraits of ourselves as one of our school projects.

I continued to draw and had drawn several portraits of myself. I had drawn pictures of famous basketball players from thePhilippine Basketball Association (PBA), with their faces left out and replaced by mine. I used to place my drawings under the transparent plastic covers of my notebooks, which I carried and showed around in school.

I had also joined an amateur drawing contest and had won second prize during a youth assembly attended by delegates from various youth organizations and different schools around the town. That contest was an on-the-spot drawing contest held in the MCHS auditorium and was among the many activities lined up for that day. There were also singing, song-writing contest, and other activities conducted to promote camaraderie and friendship among students and the out-of-school youth during that day.

At some point during my childhood days, I had dreamt of becoming a great artist in the likes of Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and other great artists that we read in history books. However, just like many other Filipino artists that came before me, I had been advised not to pursue an artist career because, accordingly, there was no financial future in art. That did not bother me, though, as I had many other options that time. I was one of the top students in my class, and mathematics and physical sciences, besides arts (of course), were among my favorite subjects in school.

I graduated from high school with first honorable mention and a special leadership award. I was the battalion commander of our school's Citizen Army Training - Women Auxiliary Service (CAT-WAS) cadets in my senior year.

I went to the University of the Philippines (UP) right after high school and studied civil engineering. I got my bachelor's degree in 1992 and have passed the civil engineering board exam in 1993. I started working and became very busy that I had no time left to indulge in art activities. Work brought me to Saudi Arabia and eventually, to Houston, Texas in the United States.

My love for arts never left me, though. One day, in 2008, I found myself in Walmart, staring at some art supplies displayed in the store. Knowing I had a very busy schedule at work, working overtime most of the days, I reluctantly bought those things I got a small kit of painting materials for around twenty dollars. That kit included a set of brushes, a set of paints, a palette, a pencil, a pencil sharpener, and a reference book on painting. I also bought a set of canvas panels and a wooden easel that was worth another twenty dollars, or so. Those materials sat in my apartment for several weeks, untouched. I was just too busy working overtime everyday. I even reported to the office during weekends. Days turned to weeks and weeks turned to months until that one lonely night, sitting alone in my apartment. I picked up the pencil from that box, and without much thinking I started sketching on one of the canvas panels I bought. It felt awkward at first, considering I had not drawn artistically, like I did when I was a kid, for so many years. But, as I work on it, little by little, it became easier and easier. My enthusiasm grew more and more as I realized my God-given talent has not left me, after all those years. It has stayed there with me all along, just waiting to be tapped. And so I worked and went to bed late, spending many hours painting, that night. I went to bed few hours after midnight, realizing I still had to report to work (as an engineer) the following day.

That was how I made my very first painting on canvas ever (see the picture below). It was a self-portrait.















I was very happy when I saw what I had done, so I decided to do some more paintings in the nights that followed. I finished two more paintings within that week. One is my wife's portrait (see picture below). The other one is a portrait of a woman texting on her cellular phone. I have given out that painting as a gift to one of my friends.









Well, yes, a painting is a good gift to give, especially if you painted it yourself. Painting is also a good way of expressing yourself. It is actually just another way of communicating. You can communicate to others what you think and feel about them, just as you can do in speaking and writing. Sometimes, words and letters are not enough to describe and convey what we really want to say. But, through visual arts, we can express a lot more things than what our lips could say. Indeed,a picture is worth a thousand words.

So, why not start expressing your love and appreciation to your friends and love ones by buying them gifts of my paintings? Prints of my paintings are now available for sale through Fine Art America, which can be accessed by clicking on the icon below.



Sell Art Online
Click above to shop and buy a gift for your friends and love ones.

Artworks for a Cargo Forwarding Company

March 18th, 2016

Husband and wife Cyril Maza (CSMaza) and Lorna Maza (LLDM) completed two commissioned paintings that feature men delivering cargo boxes in remote areas in the Philippines. The paintings were commissioned by Regent Forex, a cargo forwarding company with an office in Houston, Texas.



The paintings were both made using acrylic paints, on 24" X 20" canvas panels. The titles of the paintings were chosen by the client, and are Forex1 and Forex2.



Forex1 shows a man sitting on the back of a carabao while signing a delivery receipt. With him are two Forex agents, one in front of him and the other one behind him. The agent in front of him is shown with right arm stretched out, reaching out for the signed document. The other agent is shown holding the boxes that are placed on top of a bamboo sledge. The sledge is towed by the carabao. The background depicts a scene typical to farms in the Philippines, with trees, mountains, rice fields, and a nipa hut.



Forex 2 shows a Forex agent standing on the top of a small boat that is typical to rural villages in the Philippines. With him are two boatmen who are trying to maneuver the boat as they start their journey to the other side of the river. They are on their way to deliver the boxes.














Our Artworks Are Now Available in More Retail Locations in the US and Canada

March 18th, 2016

Fine Art America has recently announced a new partnership with Deck the Walls, The Great Frame Up, and the Framing and Art Centre!





If you live in the US or Canada, you probably recognize at least one of those business names. They are all custom frame shops with hundreds of locations nationwide.





Deck the Walls and The Great Frame Up have hundreds of retail stores located in malls and shopping centers throughout the United States, and the Framing & Art Centre is the largest framing franchise in Canada.

Fine Art America has partnered with all three companies in order to power their e-commerce websites and in-store kiosks. The partnership enables all three franchises to sell framed prints, canvas prints, greeting cards, throw pillows, and more from us (Cyril and Lorna Maza), as well as from other living artists and photographers who are members of FineArtAmerica.com.

Fine Art America has provided each franchise with a custom-branded website powered by Fine Art America's e-commerce technology:

http://shopdeckthewallsart.com/profiles/cyril-maza.html

http://shopthegreatframeupart.com/profiles/cyril-maza.html

http://framingartcentregallery.com/profiles/cyril-maza.html

The three franchises, combined, have more than one hundred and fifty retail locations throughout the United States and Canada. Next time you visit any of their shops and don't like what you see on their walls, ask them if you could check their website. You may find our art works in there. Just search for my name (Cyril Maza).

When you purchase a product from the franchise's website, Fine Art America handles the logistics of printing, manufacturing, and fulfilling your order. All orders come with a 30-day money back guarantee.



 

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