The Art of Danvic Briones

As part of Virtual explorASIAN 2020, the Interconnected Project continues its celebration of Asian Heritage Month online, casting a light on art that focus on Pan-Asian heritage and culture. In this article we feature the work of artist Danvic Briones.

Danvic Briones. Food on the Table. Photo courtesy of the Artist.

Danvic Briones is a Vancouver-based expressive arts therapist and visual artist. During the course of his Fine Arts studies at university, Danvic was introduced to printmaking (collagraphy). This became the cornerstone of his art. He modified this technique by using the wood as the actual artwork. He carves and engraves the wood to make a bas-relief and paints the resulting image with very subdued colours — the deepest red, mossy green, and maroon that borders on a darker hue.

Once he has engraved and painted the image on the wood, Briones highlights its features using the brightest yellow and treats the canvas with varnish, letting the wood absorb the colours. Once the varnish has dried, he applies dark oil paint and gradually removes it, stroke by careful stroke, thus giving it a sepia look, and making the carved lines bolder. He then softens certain elements using a variety of brushes and techniques.

Danvic Briones. Sentinel. Photo courtesy of the Artist.

Danvic’s body of work also encompasses a wide range of themes. Fragments of his memories (both real and imagined) are present in some of his works – currently, Danvic is focusing on memories from childhood. At times the images that emerge from the artist’s work give the viewer subtle hints into his Filipino heritage. His work also focuses on the Vancouver landscape, portraits of people, animals, the depiction of events and everyday life. This continued experimentation involving technique, materials and themes culminates into a multidimensional work: as an oil painting, a wood carving and representation of the artist’s kaleidoscopic visions and realities.

Danvic Briones. Nature Climb. Photo courtesy of the Artist.
Danvic Briones. High Rise Living. Photo courtesy of the Artist.

Danvic has been participating in group exhibitions around BC and in other parts of Canada. Most recently his works were shown in How Green is Your Muse at the Surrey Art Gallery, In My Own Voice at Il Museo Italian Cultural Centre in Vancouver, and Essence at the Philippine Embassy in Ottawa. Among the exhibitions dedicated solely to his works are Lakbay which was held at Richmond Public Library in 2014, and Emoticons which was staged at the San Diego Centre for the Moving Arts in the US in 2003.

To see more of Danvic’swork, visit www.artbydanvic.com