Paintbrushes are an artist's magic wand for weaving colors across the canvass. It helps the artist to form and illustrate the emotions and messages he wants to convey to his audience. Felix Amoncio, on the other hand, feels that there is a deeper connection between him and the canvass when he uses his fingers instead of a brush to paint.

Felix Amoncio was born on August 28, 1962 in Pinut-an, Southern Leyte. At age five, he used to pick-up used charcoal from the family kitchen and started drawing around the house walls. Once he entered school, he became a consistent honour student in his class and had won several oratory and drawing contests till the day he graduated High School.

Due to his family's shortcomings and financial limitations, college was not an option and he was forced to move to Manila in 1993 to work. But that move rekindled the fire inside of him when he came across different artworks displayed in the malls. The flame for painting ignited and he was determined to pursue this passion, no matter what.

Persistence and determination drove him to use his earnings to buy his art materials, one oil paint at a time. The eagerness to start painting is unbearable for Amoncio. It was frustrating for him to see that he was held back just because he doesn't have enough money to buy a paintbrush at that time. But this shortcoming didn't stop Amoncio; as a matter of fact, it is the very reason that led him to start painting using his fingers as a substitute to the brush.

Amoncio's paintings portray a vivid Filipino culture and reflections of everyday life. His artworks are described as figurative with a noticeable elaboration of people having long necks as a mark of his style and originality; which charm both local and foreign audiences alike.

Felix Amoncio's one man show LAKBAY, focuses on the journeys, travels, effort and persistence of people as they go on their everyday lives.

As you walk through the walls of the gallery, you will be stepping in Amoncio's reflection on life, his “paglalakbay”, and the images of the people he met along the way.

with excerpts from Johanna Toh's write up on the artist

For more information on the show, please email info@charliesartgallery.com.