Edwin Wilwayco

Words are not enough to describe the artistic genius of Filipino painter Edwin Wilwayco as well as the height, breadth and depth of his art. An internationally acclaimed abstract expressionist, Edwin’s work spans more than three decades.

Born in Guimba, Nueva Ecija, Edwin took up Bachelor of Fine Arts at the University of the Philippines. Prior to finishing his degree in 1972, Edwin already showed streaks of his brilliance. As a student at the University of the Philippines, he was handpicked, along with Rock Drilon, Benjie Cabangis and Fred Liongoren, by National Artist Josè Joya to assist in the making of the mural “Pagdiriwang” at the lobby of the Philippine International Convention Center. Edwin also won a series of Shell Merit awards as well as merits of excellence for advertising design at the U.P. College of Fine Arts.

The paintings of Edwin Wilwayco are an important contribution to the language of abstract art in the expressive use of color and space and in their origins in musical inspiration. They invite the viewer to embark on expeditions that he may discover to be meaningful to his life and world.

Edwin Wilwayco was recently interviewed by James T. Valliere. James T. Valliere’s interviews with Jackson Pollcok’s contemporaries, including Willem de Kooning and critic Clement Greenberg have appeared in many publications and are in the Archives of American Art at the Smithsonian Museum. Valliere’s latest work is the Amazon e-book: Pollock: How Lee Krasner Built His Legacy. Click here to read the interview:

Artist Statement:

Painting is discovery.  Every time you make a mark on canvas, all sorts of possibilities open up-and all sorts of problems to which you have to find solutions. When you take a brush to canvas, you never know exactly the result paint is going to make. The tension of always trying to push yourself over the edge, of testing the limits of your imagination, in the hope of creating impressions distinctly your own and quite beyond anything you ever expected when you started out. Therein lies the continual challenge and beauty of the act of painting for me. ~ Edwin C. Wilwayco

For more information on Wilwayco’s available works, please contact the gallery.