John Mark Llanos

In my career as an artist, I demonstrated that nothing captures a subject's soul quite like realism.

Hence, this makes realism relevant in an ever-changing art landscape. I explored and experimented with various methods of incorporating my art.

However, I was always drawn back to my first love, realism. My primary medium is oil, which I refer to as "timeless." I use light earth tones to highlight the subject and bold colors to add depth and contrast to my artwork. I enjoy the texture and feel of fresh oil paint and exemplify this by leaving large brush strokes on the canvas. I am constantly working on portraits, experimenting with new techniques, and exploring the limitless possibilities of my preferred medium.

Recognized for my dynamic, unconventional, and playful portrait paintings, I am currently delving into the beauty and eminent gratification of deviation and distortion. Textures are analogous to divergence.

My body of works exhibits variation that attracts attention. Considered a figurative expressionism experiment, I celebrate my love of massive textures and the feel of fresh oil paint on my canvases by leaving emphatic, intense impastos. Very evident in my present body of works, my strokes are becoming louder, bolder, and more abstract. One can hardly see intricate details and defined forms. Nonetheless, I wanted to create a new dimension that produced an illusion that deceives the audience into thinking of unrecognizable yet familiar figures and images.

Born in Bohol in 1991, Llanos is a product of the University of the Philippines-Cebu Fine Arts program. His passion for playing with texture led him to several major and minor awards in the local and international art scene, including bagging 1st place in the 2018 Carcar Annual Painting Competition and FINALIST in ART TAIPEI 2023.

The artist considers his college mentors, such as Karl Roque, Sio Montera, and Raymund Fernandez, Basquiat and Banksy, and Masters like Romulo Galicano, Ronald Ventura, Juan Luna, and Rembrandt, as his most significant influences. He is currently teaching and sharing his skills and knowledge with an institution.