Camille began painting during the pandemic to bond with her daughter, eventually discovering it as a meditative outlet that led her to explore watercolor, acrylic pouring, and landscapes. After exhibiting at Sampayan 2023 in Pintô Art Museum, she pursued formal lessons at the Sunshine Place under Maestro Fidel Sarmiento and his assistant Robert Fernandez. Camille is now a member of the Artipolo Art Club and the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Art Club and has joined several exhibits, including Arturismo 5, Terra Chroma at Summit Ridge Tagaytay, the Art Market at SM Masinag, and Badass Art Gallery.

Carolina “Carol” Ocampo-Llanillo is an accomplished classical traditional Chinese brush painter, mentored in the Lingnan style by Master Hau Chiok of China and the Philippines from 1981.

In the spring of 1985, Carol took a break from her Chinese brush lessons and sojourned in Florence, Italy, to study art at the Scuola San Lorenzo under Prof. Patrick Hamilton. Lessons were mostly nude drawings in charcoal and pastel. Occasionally, she would be instructed to draw anything that comes to mind.

In 2015, Carol developed a fascination for portrait painting in oil and with the encouragement and able guidance of Maestro Fidel Sarmiento, President of the Art Association of the Philippines, further honed her skill in the art. In a span of two years, she painted the portraits of the first 16 Philippine Presidents in addition to portraits of a few close friends. Today, Carol continues to produce portraits on commission basis. In 2020, Imelda R. Marcos commissioned her to do two of her portraits.

Carol has so far had eleven solo exhibits here and abroad, including one at the Philippine Center on 5th Avenue, New York, USA, two in Italy arranged by a friend from Genoa and an exhibit at the World Trade Center in Stockholm upon the invitation of Ambassador Gatmaitan on the occasion of the Philippine Independence Day. She has also participated in multiple group exhibits.

Recently, Carol turned to abstract painting in the impasto technique. For this as well as for her “girl” paintings, portraits and figures, oil has become her favorite medium.

Again, it is my pleasure to join the exhibition at Sunshine Place.

First at all. I must say i am a nature lover.

For every movement of the leaves or trees; sunrise or sunset and the breeze of the wind would capture my attention and my heart.

Though its hard to say of being one with the universe but the feelings are always elated.

Inside of me I would like to shoutout and paint it out!!!

So, always be thankful to nature and mother earth!!

Thank you so much to our maestro Fidel and sir Robert for teaching the technique in painting.

At last wishing everyone a blessed and elated days and always ❤️

Connie discovered the love of painting quite late, when she was in her 50’s.  Though it remained as a Saturday hobby, it proved that art or learning in general does not recognize age or profession.

Delle Paulino has always been prominent in the arts. She is a fashion designer and owns her own uniform manufacturing company that has been a forerunner in the industry for over 30 years. Aside from fashion, she has also taken up landscape and underwater photography. In her retirement, she began to pursue other forms of art, mainly oil and acrylic painting.

Ed Ramos: From Finance to Fine Art

Ed Ramos spent over 25 years as a bank trader before discovering his passion for painting in 2015. His work spans landscapes, portraits, still life, and most recently, abstract art.

In 2025, he was selected as one of 29 finalists in the non-representational category of the GSIS National Art Competition, chosen from over 450 entries nationwide. It was a proud moment that marked how far he’s come on his artistic journey—and how much he continues to grow through his love for painting.

A writer of children’s books and a lifestyle columnist in her younger days, Lin finds fulfilment now in painting under the tutelage of Fidel Sarmiento and Robert Hernandez.

Fang Fang Li is a multifaceted person – an artist, entrepreneur, Latin dancer, floral designer, writer, and motivational speaker among other things. She was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer in July 2021 and since then, she has transformed her adversity into purpose, devoting each day to beauty, movement, and healing. Her mornings begin with intimate reflections that fuel the soul of her work. Her compositions often feature animals like horses, peacocks, and panthers that shimmer with metals and gold foil. They echo themes of emotional depth, connection, and quiet power. Each piece is a reminder of what we can rise to become despite what we endure. As the chief advocate of the Love Hope Dream Foundation, Fang Fang uses art as a vessel of empowerment and compassion for those navigating breast cancer and other challenges in life. The heartbeat of the foundation is based on her mantra:
“Everything begins with LOVE. With love, people find HOPE for life. With hope, people dare to DREAM again.”

Mr. Sarmiento has received numerous prestigious awards, here and abroad and he is presently the President of the Art Association of the Philippines and a former member of the Board of Trustees of the National Museum, among others.

Ka Fidel’s interest in colonial houses stemmed from his initial college work while taking up an architectural degree course at the MAPUA Institute of Technology in Manila, Philippines. He graduated Bachelor of Fine Arts at FEATI UNIVERSITY.

Joyce Valdeabella-Ashworth

Lumban, Laguna

Joyce is a contemporary Filipino artist whose recent works revisit sacred iconography through a personal and contemplative lens. Her reinterpretations of Marian imagery—particularly the Mother of Perpetual Help—reflect an ongoing interest in faith, cultural memory, and the emotional resonance of inherited symbols. Raised in Lumban, Laguna and originally from Sto. Tomas, Batangas, she began painting in 2019 under the influence of Maestro Fidel M. Sarmiento, President of the Art Association of the Philippines. Her works primarily in acrylic, often incorporating gold elements, and paints on canvas, wood, and ceramic surfaces. While her current focus highlights the appropriation of religious images, she is better known for her non-representational paintings, which explore the interplay of light and shadow over deep tonal fields. These abstract works have earned multiple recognitions at the GSIS National Art Competition (Finalist in 2023 and 2025, Honorable Mention in 2024), while her figurative piece was also named Finalist in the 2025 Sining Filipina Painting Competition. A published artist, Joyce’s practice reflects a consistent visual language anchored in material sensitivity and a reflective engagement with both personal and cultural themes.

Through the vibrant layers of oil and acrylic paint, my work explores the intersection of travel and memory. My paintings are deeply personal, drawn from my own journeys, yet they are meant to be invitations—windows into the places I’ve been and the moments that have stayed with me. By translating these experiences onto canvas, I aim to create work that transports viewers—inviting them to see, feel, and momentarily exist in the places I’ve seen through my eyes. Ultimately, my goal is for the audience to not only witness these captured moments but to feel as though they’ve traveled with me—to be immersed in the colors, textures, and stories of distant places made familiar through art.

Kristine Erika Canlas is a ceramic artist and pottery instructor. Her interest in painting started last year with an exploratory session at Sip & Gogh. After which, she joined a full-course painting class at Sunshine Place.

Instagram: @littlemisserika_

TikTok: @littlemisserika_

YouTube: @littlemisserika

A graduate of the Assumption College, I am a wife to Dr. Manuel Fernandez, Jr., a mother and grandmother, a Center for Family Ministries (CEFAM) Counselor from the Ateneo de Manila, and a co-facilitator of Mood Harmony Support Group of MMC. I am also an artist and an aspiring writer. It’s been very rewarding having joined Sunshine Place that allowed me to continue my passion in painting and writing. I have learned new skills through the mentoring of Maestro Fidel Sarmiento and his assistant, Robert Fernandez. At this time in my life, both painting and writing is truly therapeutic and a creative expression of ideas and emotions.

Ms. Biñas is a graduate of Bachelors of Science in Business Administration and a banker by profession. Her interest in painting began during her junior high school years. Every time she saw a beautiful artwork, she felt an unexplainable joy – like an inner artistic spirit was clapping. Although the desire to create was strong, financial limitations prevented her from pursuing it early on. Still, she made a quiet promise to herself: one day, she would return to this passion. Years later, while already working and able to afford her own art tools, she fulfilled that promise. With the support of a senior colleague who generously shared his knowledge, she began learning painting techniques during their lunch breaks. Those simple moments reignited her love for art and gave her the confidence to move forward. Eventually, she enrolled at the Sunshine Place, where she had the rare opportunity to learn under one of the most talented maestros – the president of the Art Association of the Philippines, Mr. Fidel Sarmiento. His guidance helped her grow not only in technique but also in appreciation for the discipline and depth of art. Today, she continues her artistic journey with gratitude – painting not just as a hobby, but as a lifelong passion that waited patiently for its time to bloom.

Mee Lee Casey, instructor of porcelain painting, shares her 20+ years of knowledge and training on the craft. Learning from various countries, the UK, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Australia, she brings the new art form to the Philippines, hence the first of its kind in the country.

Miguel is a storyteller who believes in the power of written and visual communication to engage, inspire and empower people towards creating a better life for themselves and for others.

He believes himseld to be a conceptual realist, focusing on the idea, vision and purpose and bringing it to life with bold and vibrant colours and strokes. Each of his works convey the story of the ebb and flow of the tides of life, the peaks and valleys—contrasts that represent our humanity.

Miguel is a graduate of De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde, with a degree in Multimedia Arts.

He is also Dr. Elmo Lago, Jr’s son.

The intricacies of art in all forms have naturally intrigued Rica Rosario B. Ong from an early age.

A graduate of Fine Arts major in Interior Design at the College of the Holy Spirit, Rica was born October 3, 1966, to Remedios Cabral Balingit and Ong Ben Cuan in Gabaldon Nueva Ecija.

Her entrepreneurial father uprooted the family to Binondo, Manila which instilled the art of business to young Rica and dislodged the art of painting.

But the art of designing jewelries beckoned her. And whatever she does, she prepares to be the best in the field. Hence, she carries a sought after diploma in Diamond Grading from the prestigious Gemological Institute of America. Rica indulged in this sparkling intriguing industry

for 14 years relegating interior design to a hobby.

The art of business continued to motivate Rica. An eureka moment happened during one of her Bangkok trips. Armed with faith, schooled and guided by her father, she founded a cargo business she knew nothing about and in a foreign land at that. Hence, for 10 years, Rica lived in Bangkok, growing the business which is still thriving for more than two decades.

She finally fully embraced the art of painting this year after a serendipitous encounter with a Sunshine Place alumna. Under the tutelage of master artist Fidel M. Sarmiento, Rica

developed a realist style using acrylics. She paints listening to slow and country music, because “music speaks what you feel inside.” More inclined to monotone colors, Rica believes that her multi-faceted interests from furniture and interior design, jewelry design to gardening, conspired her towards painting.

“ Art for me is a way to express my emotions and feelings. It can be used to communicate ideas and thoughts, or a tool for self expressions. It is a form of therapy, or a means to find beauty and balance in life,” said Rica.

Her works are heavily Asian influenced – blue and white ginger jars, old lamps, calado embroidery, vintage furniture- “ representing old world charm…am an old soul in a

contemporary world.” To relax, Rica walks along side her furry babies in the beach watching the sunset or simply gardening. Every act becomes an inspiration for her rediscovered love for painting. She credits the woman she is today to her late father who pushed her not with fear, but with courage to fulfill her dreams.

Originally a tattoo artist, he was referred by a friend to develop his creativity by joining Arts Association of the Philippines. Robert started with AAP in 2001 as a volunteer and a canvas maker and pursued painting the following year. From then on, he joined art competitions of the organization and became protégé of the President Mr. Fidel Sarmiento. Eleven years after he joined, he had his first break to showcase his work with other artists abroad in “Young Art Philippines 2009 “Euro Tour (8 cities). His expertise subjects are still life baskets, jars, fruit and flowers to name a few. He also accepts commission work to figurative painting.

He has been receiving awards since 2006 and his works are published in coffee table books and magazines. He also conducts art workshops in schools and provinces. Robert has been teaching with Mr. Fidel as an assistant instructor for more than six (6) years at Sunshine Place. Robert Has been painting for more than 25 years.

Rosy is an artist known for bold color, emotional depth, and a quiet spiritual touch. Inspired by her Catholic faith, pets, and marathon routes, she paints with love and purpose. Her hidden “Rosy Roses” nod to both her faith and Post-Impressionist roots. She hopes to share God’s love through every piece. Connect with her on Instagram @rosyandart.

From the quick deadlines of the newsroom to the quiet greens of the fairways, Veronica now paints in the stillness of the studio. At Sunshine Place, she trained under visual virtuoso Maestro Fidel Sarmiento and hyper realist artist Robert Fernandez, working in acrylic to create serene landscapes, spirited golf scenes, gold-leafed compositions, and contemporary abstracts. A finalist in the 20th GSIS National Art Competition (2025), she continues a lifelong pursuit of meaning — this time, with a brush in hand.

Victoria Lopez started painting under Maestro Fidel Sarmiento and Robert Fernandez on October 2019 and has been painting since then at Sunshine Place for Vicky is her “Happy Place”