- Orley Ypon

Filipino 21st Century Realist artist

Born in Toledo, Cebu, Philippines. Orley hails from Toledo, Cebu, Philippines. He discovered a love for art at a very early age, doing portraits of himself and of family and friends throughout his growing years. Orley left Cebu Province at 17 after a few semesters at the Cebu Institute of Technology taking up Architecture to make his mark in Manila. A series of jobs as an export handicraft artist led him all over the country from Pampanga, Paete, Laguna and Davao. He eventually returned to Cebu to study at the UP College of Fine Arts before leaving school to become a full-time artist. The 45-year old artist has achieved much since his young years. A constant finalist in painting exhibitions in the Visayas and Metro Manila, Orley gained attention when he won the First Prize in the Art Association of the Philippines‘ National On-The-Spot Painting Competition in 2001. In the same year, Orley made his mark at the Art Petron National Painting Competition, bagging the Grand Prize in 2001 for “Ober-Ober“. He won the Grand Prize in the same competition for the second time in 2004 for “Pamaling“, earning him the honor of being the first Hall-of-Famer in the history of the Art Petron Painting Competitions. In 2008, Orley won the 2nd Prize in the GSIS Painting Competition for his piece, “Ahon“, considered by peers and critics to be a breakthrough creation for its adherence to traditional technique but showing depth and variety in the artists‘ choice of subject and composition. It showed an evocative nature previously unseen in his earlier work. His current creations manifest the artist developing his objectives into themes that convey social issues, the human condition, and further expanding into new dimensions of his art. His latest achievements are winning the Grand Prize in International Artist Magazine‘s International Painting Competition in the People and Figures Division for 2009, Honorable Mention in the latest Members Only Competition of the Portrait Society of America and the Grand Prize in the Amorsolo National Painting Competition. He was also recently given the Ani Ng Dangal award in 2011, an honor given by the National Commission of Culture and Arts of the Philippines. Orley continues to paint his favorite scenes of life and culture while continuously evolving his traditional technique through study and awareness of contemporary art forms. He holds occasional exhibits in Metro Manila and is based in Pasig City, Philippines.