"NO TIMER, NO COUNTDOWN" by ULYSSES DUTERTE
"No Timer, No Countdown" Ulysses Duterte January 2023 Artist’s Statement With this series, I wanted to show the world the feelings and thoughts of Filipinos living in America. In each picture I draw, I let the viewer discern the thoughts and emotions of these hardworking individuals—most are living in the U.S., away from their families and relatives in the Philippines. Also, there’s been a belief in some quarters that abstract expressionists cannot draw. Well, that’s not always true! In fact, before I became one, I was a social realist. The drawings of “No Timer, No Countdown” reflect how I grew up drawing the barong-barongs and ways of life in the Philippines. Jose Joya and Gus Albor were two well-known Filipino abstract expressionists who encouraged my painting. Both denied the notion that abstract expressionists cannot draw! As for the orange line in my drawings, they represent truth in the sense that whatever the viewer’s interpretation of my subject, that’s the TRUTH! I...