Beginners' Art Workshop: Let's Save the Birds

Beginners' Art Workshop

Let's Save the Birds

Living with Nature Center

San Vicente, Ilocos Sur

Dr Abe V Rotor

 "Take the first step, and your mind will mobilize all its forces 

to your aid."- Robert Collier

 

Let's save the birds - kalaw, sparrow, eagle - drawing theme to create 

awareness to these threatened species. an afternoon session 

participated by these children in the neighborhood of the author's 

residence in San Vicente, Ilocos Sur.  

 

 

Mythical sparrow and hornbill representing the real species.

  Rarely seen are these birds in the  open or wild,

yet at finger's touch on screen they seem alive

     in children's story transformed into virtual reality

       through art, the bridge of reason and creativity.     

"You don't have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great." 

-Zig Ziglar

 

 

Home of these birds - fundamentals of painting, second part of the workshop..

Paint the sky, where they're free and fly;

the trees we listen to their songs and call,

hills and mountains far, blue as the sky;

put life in your art that touches the soul. 

"Art will never be able to exist without nature." — Pierre Bonnard ~

Raise Native Chicken and Ducks Free Range

Raise Native Chicken and Ducks Free Range 

Living with Nature Center

San Vicente, Ilocos Sur

"True abundance is a flock of native chickens and ducks 

foraging freely under an open sky."

Dr Abe V Rotor

Native chicken and ducks are compatible when raised in the open, 

reducing cost of feeds, labor, housing and other expenses.

They are natural pets, specially to children, and they keep us 

closer to nature with good health and natural recreation.

"Watch the ducks splash and the chickens scratch; 

that is the true rhythm of a peaceful homestead."

 

Natural brooding and hatching, an experiential encounter never 

equaled with toys and gadgets, specially to city-bred children.  

12 Benefits and Advantages 

1. Practical and low technology
2. Locally formulated feeds, mainly palay or corn
3. Natural immunity and resistance to diseases 
4. Litter of rice husk (ipa) or sawdust as natural fertilizer or compost  
5. Native chicken beat foreign breed in taste, especially local recipes
6. As pets children love their unique colors and features
7. Raised on the range, or in make-shift coop (or combined)
8. Virtually self-supporting at harvestime, reduces crop wastage
9. Game fowls from selected roosters or by crossbreeding 
10. Family self-sufficiency in poultry meat and eggs 
11. Pastime and hanapbuhay (livelihood) 
12. Physical activity, family project, and therapy,  

 

Backyard chicken and native ducks for meat and eggs. 

"The home should be the treasure chest of living." — Le Corbusier

Hornwort (Ceratophyllum demersum) on garden pond serves as fish and 

  ducks forage. Hornwort stabilizes pond on the principle of bioremediation*  

"Free-range isn't just a label; it’s a lifestyle of liberty for the creatures in our care."

* Bioremediation is the use of living organisms—mostly microorganisms, fungi, and plants—to clean up polluted soil, water, and air by turning harmful toxins into safe substances. 

    AI Overview/Internet~

Acknowledgement with gratitude: Internet quotes, close-up photo hornwort

Arboretum - Living Museum. In celebration of Autumnal Equinox September 23, 2026

September 23, 2026 Autumnal Equinox

Arboretum - Living Museum

Living with Nature Center Botanical Garden

San Vicente, Ilocos Sur

Autumnal equinox sun through a reddening leaf,

     measure of three quarters of the year gone;

so too, the calendar of man's life swift and brief,

     golden like precious gem in the setting sun.

September 21, 2026 Autumnal Equinox

The 2026 September equinox in the Philippines will occur at 8:05 am on Wednesday, September 23, 2026 according to the DOST-PAGASA Astronomical Diary.

Heritage talisay tree at the San Vicente Botanical Garden, San Vicente Ilocos Sur sheds its leaves turning yellow to red before they fall to the ground. Photos taken by the author 2020

Talisay (Lugo Ilk) Terminalia catappa is a large tropical tree in the leadwood tree family, Combretaceae, that grows mainly in the tropical regions of Asia, Africa, and Australia. Common names in English include country almond, Indian almond, Malabar almond, sea almond, tropical almond, beach almond and false kamani. Wikipedia

Author's grandchildren Markus and Mackie, accompanied 

in the arboretum by his sister, Sr Veny Rotor, ofs (deceased)

Heritage Tree of 3 generations: 

Camito - Chrysophyllum cainito

Heritage tree of three generations - native mango (Mangifera indica)

is host to viny plants, ferns, and lianas like Rosary Pea and Philodendron

 

It's mango season, usually during summer months.

Mangifera indica Indian variety  

 

                        Towering Anahaw -  Saribus rotundifolius - Caryophyllaceae 

An Evening Guest - A Giant House Spider!

                An Evening Guest - A Giant House Spider! 

Dr Abe V Rotor 

In my room one peaceful evening came a spider*.

Welcome, gladly I said, as it paused for a moment

on drawings on the wall my grand children** made,

its legs tapping a message for whatever it meant.

Ah, you are an artist too, I guessed, as it moved 

along and across swiftly I thought it would fall,

Instead it embraced a make-believe companion;

I looked into this creature a mirror on the wall.

* Giant house spider (Aratigena africa) is also known as Wolsey spider (Tegenaria parietina), sometimes referred to as Cardinal spider, named after Cardinal Wolsey during the time of  Henry VIII of England. Giant house spiders have been recently  classified under genus Aratigena. 

** Pastel drawings by the author's grandchildren at their ancestral home in San Vicente, Ilocos Sur, circa 2016.  Mackie, now 14, drew this geometric figure of a spider.   

Stars in the Trees - "How lovely are the portals of the night..."

 Stars in the Trees

Artwork by Dr Abe V Rotor

"How lovely are the portals of the night, when stars come out to watch the daylight die." — Unknown

 

 Branch of Kalios or Aludig (Streblus asper) and glass marbles mounted on a background painting of nature. Other than a wall decor, this artwork serves 

as a specimen sample and aid in teaching natural science and humanities. 

Artwork by the author 2026

Stars come down to earth and settle on trees;

in Spring wake up the buds on twigs in glee;

in Summer become bright leaves and flowers;

in Autumn into yellow, orange, and red confetti;

in Winter glow thru the trees in magic showers.

"If people sat outside and looked at the stars each night, I'll bet they'd live a lot differently." — Bill Watterson 

Details of Stars in the Trees

 

  Stars come down to earth in merriment and laughter,

   in joyous celebrations, add  honor and glory;

in times of war and trials, buoy the spirit with hope,

 in the darkest hour of pain, fear and anxiety;

in our divided world today, restore unity and peace; 

   indeed stars are the greatest gift to humanity.

"I like the night. Without the dark, we'd never see the stars." — Stephanie Meyer

Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh, an oil-on-canvas painting by the Dutch Post-Impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh. Painted in June 1889, it depicts the view from the east-facing window of his asylum room at Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, just before sunrise, with the addition of an imaginary village.  Wikipedia

"I know nothing with any certainty, but the sight of the stars makes me dream. "Go out and paint the stars."- Vincent van Gogh

Enlarged detail of Stars on Trees  AVR 2026 ~

Don't hang your paint brush. Don't.

Don't hang your paint brush. Don't. 

When you think the world has been changing so fast you have been overtaken by change itself, waylaid along the path, hold on, for just a single piece - finished or not - could make the difference.

Dr Abe V Rotor

Spent palette board and worn out paint brushes. 

Painting tools of the author  2020

When you think you are done with art, and here you are surrounded by beautiful scenes of nature - migrating birds in the blue sky, a school of fish in a crystal clear lake, trees towering in the distance and above your head swaying with the breeze, flowering plants at your finger touch, don't hang your paint brush, don't; 

When you think you have no more time for a break, much more to go on with your artistic hobby and leisure, because you are preoccupied with more serious matters pertaining to work and obligation to family and community, and feeling that these are of utmost priority in your life - no,  don't hang your paint brush, don't; 

When you think your conventional style is outdated, and not accepting current movements such as surrealism, fauvism and avant-garde, you feel these as affront to classicism, romanticism, impressionism, and realism which have guided the evolution of art to its period of glory -  even then, don't hang your paint brush, don't;

When you think you have grown too old to explore new subjects, to experiment, to participate in exhibitions and competition, relegating to the younger generations such events, and believing you are no longer on the front line of radical change but would rather be a spectator - no, don't hang your paint brush, don't; 

When you think you have failed as an artist, unable to make a fortune out of your artworks, and blaming yourself for sacrificing the welfare of your family - and yourself - financially, and regretting you have wasted the best of your years in life,  and missed out better opportunities - no, don't hang your paint brush, don't; 

When you think you have failed to gain honor and fame from your work, comparing yourself with your colleagues in other fields of endeavor, their achievements well known and respected, while yours are but renditions of your own beliefs and values,  remember Luna, Picasso, Van Gogh et al - no, don't hang your paint brush, don't; 

When you think the world has been changing so fast you have been overtaken by change itself, waylaid along the path, hold on, for just a single piece - finished or not - could make the difference, perhaps to stand as epitome of not only your  lifetime achievement, but your immortality, so, don't hang your paint brush, don't. ~

The Backyard as Laboratory and Workshop: Homemade Fruit Wines

 The Backyard as Laboratory and Workshop 

 Homemade Fruit Wines     

Homemade Fruit Wines from Mango, Dragon Fruit, Banana, Nangka, Caimito, Chico, Pineapple, Rambutan, Mangosteen, Guava, Duhat, Bignay, Pakwan, others 

Dr Abe V Rotor 

 

Checking growth of yeast innoculum from natural sources - 

bark of kamachili (Pithecolobium dulce) and leaves of samat 

(binunga Tag), Macaranga tenarius 

Experimental lot of five tropical fruits on first week of 

fermentation using PET 5-liter bottles. 

Filtrate after separating the sediments, after fermentation is done (one to two months). In commercial production, earthen jars are used, each with a capacity of 50 long neck bottles (175 ml) on the average. Aging in plastic container is not advisable. The use of PET bottle is for experimentation only. Once the formula for a particular fruit is established the same is translated into large scale production using earthen jars.

 

Commercial production in glazed earthen jars (burnay). Sugar content of the filtrate is determined by hydrometer and refractometer. Ideally it takes two years of aging. Specially made wine is aged five to seven years. Note clay cap over the jar, hermetically sealed from air, contaminants and and pests like termite.

 

Final product ready for the market after one to two year of aging in earthen jar (burnay).  Specially made fruit wine for tourists shops (and export) from chico (Achras sapota) pineapple, dragon fruit and mango (three-fruit blend).  Note special presentation for for wedding, and personalized designs. At the right is Ilocos vinegar from sugar cane. 

    

Duhat (Zyzygium cumini) and caimito (Chrysophyllum cainito) make excellent fruit wine.   Mangosteen is high in tannin and red pigment, but during aging the pigment eventually fades out giving way to crystalline transparency, with the exception of duhat and bignay which remain opaque dark in the bottle.

Fermentation is closely monitored as to color, bubble and gas evolution,

 sediments, odor, etc. Fruits have different fermenting characteristics. The must (fermenting material) eventually settles at the bottom giving way to the formation of filtrate that soon becomes clear, occuppying the upper half of the bottle.

 

University researchers take pride in displaying the products of wine fermentation on the backyard. 

                   

  

Homemade fruit wines successfully passed the international standards set by the Food Development Center of the National Food Authority, and the FDA as well as US and European standards for Port and Sherry.   Top, homemade fruit wines join the prestigious fruit wines of other countries. Former NFA Administrator Jesus T Tanchanco, and Mrs Tanchanco grace the occasion when our local wines were chosen recipient of BIDA (Business Incentive Development Award). ~