Bathalumans: Stories of the Goddesses

Melchor Bernaldo was a marine who served under the Philippine 4th Battalion from Bulacan.  A self-taught artist whose passion for the arts ignited when he was invited to design the annual Christmas decorations for the company where he worked as a security guard and won. His skills earned him the admiration of the residents and encouraged him to pursue his talent further. Despite being inexperienced, he sought guidance from browsing through artbooks in bookstores, visiting galleries, and befriending other artists in his town and eventually developed his unique style. After years of hard work and practice, Melchor finally gained the confidence to sign his name on canvas and become an artist.

It started with surrealistic portraits of mestizas, fashionably dressed in  Filipiñana while embellished in flowers and butterflies. He wanted to paint the ideal Filipina Beauty. But sometimes, a single moment of inspiration can lead us to unexpected realizations and exciting discoveries.