THE MAVERICK MARIVIC RUFINO (Third of four parts) (March 19, 2012)

MARIVIC RUFINO (SECOND FROM RIGHT) WITH HER FAMILY (FROM LEFT) BRIEL, B.R., MARTYNNE, MICHELLE, BRENT, AND BRYAN LIM

Vim Nadera: Why do you love the title Dreamscapes? And why watercolor?
Marivic Rufino: I paint my dreams, my memories of the future. Deja vu! Watercolor requires inspiration, lightness, speed. It is spontaneous. I meditate when I paint. No mistakes allowed. If my painting has a
mistake, I discard it. But some paintings have "happy accidents."

VN: How different were the audience responses or reactions in San Francisco, Paris, and Manila?
MR: The international audiences have varied reactions -- but always positive, enthusiastic, warm, and admiring.They show appreciation abroad. It is prestigious. I just came back from Madrid where the Philippine Embassy in Spain presented my Romanza I exhibit at the Museo Nacional de Antropologia for Dr. Jose Rizal's 150th birth anniversary. I brought Romanza the poetry book of Rio Alma, our national Artist for Literature. We had poetry reading in Filipino, English and Spanish. That was our collaboration with Marne Kilates. And I was proud to make it part of the exhibition. The poems were mounted beside my paintings.The Spanish-Filipino audience liked it very much.

But I love doing shows in Manila because I know the people. Friends and family and collectors are very supportive. This is my home, my scene.

VN: You won the Gawad CCP for Best Television Special. Why did you stop making more Serenatas?
MR: Let's say I'm resting, and painting more. Maybe, one day, I'll go back to producing.

VN: As the Executive producer of Maverick Productions, could you share with us the state of staging dinner theater plays and musical concerts here compared to, say, Hongkong, Italy, and the U.S. MR: I'm on a sabbatical from production work. It is very difficult to stage shows abroad but a lot of fun especially because I work with my co-producers who are professionals. 
VN: As a businesswoman, how do you manage your time? 
MR: I walked a tightrope for many years, balancing art and business. I burned out especially when I had to do full time care-giving abroad for my late husband and best friend. But lately, less business, more volunteer work for Red Cross and I try to devote time to my art and writing. 

VN: Are there plans to write the sequel to Beyond Brushstrokes, which was published by Bookmark in 1995? MR: Yes, one day. When the time is right. I have to choose the essays for the anthology. And maybe write my colorful memoirs. Hahaha.