Cadiz lad aces painting tilt

A 24-year-old Cadiz City native emerged as the grand winner in the 1st Province-wide Visual Arts Exhibition by the Provincial Government of Negros Occidental held in Bacolod City.

Earl Von Salcedo bested other budding artists from different towns and cities in the province, bagging the P100,00 worth of art scholarship grant courtesy of Linangan Art Residency Program in Cavite.

Salcedo’s painting piece depicted the “modern futuristic” rice farming. It portrays the Negros (farming) community journeying towards a better future. It got the judges’ nod as it related to the tilt theme: “Abanse Negrense: Reimagining Our Future.”

It took him 15 days to finish his four-foot art entry. He dwelled on “surrealism”. It inspired him to unleash his “limitless imagination”.

Via painting, Salcedo stressed, he wants to inspire others. Too, he hopes to propel societal change.

Cadiz City Mayor Salvador G. Escalante, Jr. was “beyond proud” with Salcedo’s victory. “Continue to inspire others,” he told the art champ, adding, “Opportunity knocks once so grab it!” Capped the mayor: “Art knows no boundaries… explore its world.” *