THE MAVERICK MARIVIC RUFINO (Second of four parts) (March 12, 2012)

MAV RUFINO WITH HER ART TEACHER JONAHMAR SALVOSA, AMADIS MA. GUERRERO, ELMER GRAMPON, PHILLIP KIMPO, NATIONAL ARTIST VIRGILIO ALMARIO, AND VIM NADERA DURING HER RECENT EXHIBIT AT THE PENINSULA MANILA

Vim Nadera: What is so special about Marymount? You were enrolled in two of its boarding schools.

Marivic Rufino: Marymount in Barcelona and Rome were international boarding schools. The discipline was strong and the emphasis was on a well-rounded education in Europe. Marymount Manhattan in New York offered Theater Arts and English Lit., my double majors. It was less stressful for me to attend a college in NY where I would bloom rather than a big university where I could get overwhelmed. I was choosing between USF and NYU. Both had accepted me as a transfer student and on a partial scholarship. The President of Marymount USA was my Math prof. in Barcelona.

VN: What made you choose Liberal Arts?

MR: I love the Humanities -- Philosophy, Literature, Anthopology and History. My first choice was really Medicine because I excelled in Biology and Genetics, Chemistry, Psychology. But my Mom refused to send me to UP.

VN: Are there artists in your family?MR: I am the only painter/writer in my immediate family. My niece Maritoni Ruifno-Tordesillas is a ballerina. Our aunts are National Artist for Dance/painter/ writer Leonor Orosa-Goquingco (my first ballet teacher) and writer/author/music critic Rosalinda L. Orosa.

VN: Are you the so-called “made” artist?

MR: I am still a struggling artist. I wish I had more time to paint but I have work with the family business part-time and I am also Vice Chair of Red Cross Makati.

VN: Why did you major in Theater? Did you consider pursuing it professionally then?

MR: I produced dinner theatre and musical shows in the 80s in Manila. Then I went to New York to study Theatre Arts. I did some acting but I prefer production work. In the 90s I was producing international musical concerts with pop artists Gary Valenciano, Pops Fernandez, Regine Velasquez, Martin Nievera, Janno Gibbs, and Nanette Inventor in Italy. I produced Lea Salonga and Ryan Cayayab in San Francisco and LA in '92.

VN: And why English literature?
MR: I loved poetry, haiku, sonnets. I love the two Williams: Blake and Shakespeare. Actually, I like many authors. It depends on my mood.

VN: Then you took up painting in Manila and New York. Why both in the Western and Chinese? Why specifically the Ling Nan traditions?MR: I started with oil painting at age 11 but I'm allergic. Watercolor is me! It is like writing poetry. I learned Chinese painting, Ling Nan, under Prof. Hau Hiok for 10 years. It is contemporary with spontaneous brushstrokes -- like my horse paintings. I don't like to do the very detailed paintings. Then I switched to Western watercolor under Jonah Salvosa of UP on and off for four years. He's a good friend and we had a strong bond. I had my first solo show in '87. I've been on my own for the past 20 years.