As far back as I can remember, I think I always wanted to be an artist. I drew precociously as a very young child. When there was no pencil and paper available, I would often pick up a stick and fill the ground in our frontyard with sketches of anything that comes to my mind.

I grew up in a rural area a hundred kilometers north of Manila and I can't remember any paintings or reproductions on the walls of our home. My parents had no sense of art or any conception of what it meant to be an artist. But they did have a great understanding of the things in life that really matter. They put human values ahead of monetary considerations. They encouraged me to continue my studies in a field that was totally alien to them and which must have seemed at that time completely impractical.

In retrospect, I realize that their support was quite remarkable and also that it meant a great deal to me.

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