A couple of years ago, CLOSER spoke to Filipe Miguel das Dores about his award-winning painting Mario Night. This year, the Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours of the United Kingdom once again recognized his talent and awarded him second prize of The Leathersellers’ Award for his painting Working Alone.
Despite his recent accolades, there was a time in Filipe’s life when his family was a bit worried about him. His cousin, artist José Lázaro das Dores, described the younger Filipe as “very naughty”. But it was a visit to his cousin’s studio, just out of curiousity, that brought Filipe into the world of art.
Unlike many other local artists, Filipe did not receive proper training when he was younger. Although he is currently studying Fine Arts at the Macau Polytechnic Institute, Filipe actually found his own path mostly through experimentation.
“I had never sat down to learn drawing, unlike others who sat and learned sketching, painting or drawing still objects. I started to learn drawing by learning abstract painting with my cousin. I would draw on wooden boards or even got some unwanted wooden doors from the refuse room and do all sorts of experimenting and exploring. It was only later that I started painting realistically. I entered the world of art along a different path.”
When he is not attending classes, Filipe now spends as much as six hours every day to plan and work on his creations. He says that unlike several years ago when he still had a lot of hobbies, he basically spends everyday in the studio nowadays. The artist also jokes that it takes years for his friends to successfully ask him out.
For Filipe, artistic creation is merely the illustration of objects on the canvas. What he enjoys most is actually the exploration related to the creation.
“What’s more important is the contemplation before the painting process starts. Before I painted Working Alone, I needed to calculate and think about how the actually proportions were going to be shown, as well as considering which window should be lit and how different proportions were going to better strike an emotional chord so that everybody who saw the painting would think that it was a good one.”
When looking at his two awarding-winning paintings, as well as another entitled The September After 18 Years, one notable feature is the absence of people, even when the scenes are in reality in busy areas in Macau. Filipe explains that he has been painting these kinds of uninhabited scenes for a while, which is in fact related to his own life.
“Artistic creation cannot be detached from life experiences. It is possible that since I grew up in a single-parent family, I might have felt lonely.”
However, “lonely” can also be something positive, Filipe adds, saying that this “working alone” does not only mean “working by oneself”, but also refers to a person’s enjoyment of the process of continuous hardwork.
While some artists worry about experiencing a creative block in artistic process, Filipe claims that he is not really concerned by it.
“I don’t think there is really such a thing as a creative block. If you are moving in a particular direction, it is alright if you come up with more directions. I think of each of my paintings individually instead of as a set. What I want is to achieve improvements in every new painting.”
As an artist in Macau, Filipe has noticed that the city lacks intermediaries between artists and the art market.
“Take selling paintings as an example. I cannot negotiate with people directly because it is not very appropriate and not professional. That’s why I need an agent who can help me so that I can focus on my creations. But these people [agents] don’t work for free and for most artists in Macau, we lack a fair and transparent mechanism for this process.
Filipe is currently planning to join a watercolour painting competition in Taiwan. He will also develop a new series of creations. Having just finished his third year in college, Filipe has not yet decided if he will become a full-time artist after he graduates, but he is certain that he will spend a significant amount of time painting no matter what. The young artist also expresses a strong desire to stay in Macau.
“I still like to paint until midnight and can still enjoy a dish of steamed rice noodle rolls outside. I won’t be able to do this if I move to the UK. I still have feelings for this place. I hope that my works are still popular outside Macau, but I want to stay here as well.”
