Jun Velasco Currently based in Sydney, Australia, artist Jun Velasco has uplifted our culture despite the length of time and physical absence from regular Filipino experience.  The distance from his motherland never hinders him to produce astoundingly beautiful works with an attributable style that has resulted from years of self-exploration.  His works show perspectives that go beyond the Filipino spirit, giving our culture so much life, rhythm and musicality. Jun Velasco loves to use vibrant colors in his watercolor masterpieces and thickly textured applications on his acrylic works.  He finds it comfortable to highlight bold brush strokes and defined lines in most of his paintings.  Remarkably, he has achieved great success with his childhood passion thru auto didacticism, exploring all types of mediums that include oil, acrylic, watercolor, and pen and ink (large format using syringe and acrylic in replacement for pen and ink).  The aptitude to tackle his varied subjects using different mediums has emphasized his versatility, ease and uniqueness that reveal years of meticulous self-training.  His works have gained a prodigious amount of popularity among collectors.  Most of these masterpieces are now displayed in homes and establishments here and abroad. Born and raised in Baguio City, Jun Velasco fulfilled his desire to become an artist despite taking up Civil Engineering as his course at Saint Louis University.  In fact, he worked as a resident artist at Pines Hotel while studying.  After obtaining his engineering degree, he served as faculty member for SLU Engineering and Architecture Department.  In 1987 he migrated to Sydney, Australia and worked for a steel fabrication and construction corporation for many years before starting his own steel detailing company.   Prior to his Australian migration, Jun was commissioned by the Philippines Military Academy (PMA) to paint the portrait of the late President Ferdinand Marcos that now hangs in the PMA Museum alongside all the ex-presidents of the Philippines.  A decade after his arrival in Sydney, he was awarded First Prize in the Annual   Art Award for Transparent Water Color Orange Blossom Festival in 1997.  In the same year he received special commendations for his work at the 2nd Acquisitive Art Exhibition, Blacktown City Council.  In 1998, he received additional special honors for his works submitted to Candem Art Prize and Annual Art Award for Parramatta Art Society.  His most current achievement is becoming the Ambassador for Culture and Arts in the field of Fine Arts by PLAZA FILIPINO and NARRA in NSW Australia in 2017.  Jun was a representative of the IWS Philippines for the 2nd Tirana International Watercolor Biennale (March 12-17, 2017) in Indonesia.  He has worked hand in hand with prominent Sydney – based artists such as Mon Coloma and Ed Aragon. Jun Velasco’s notable exhibits include his one-man-shows at the Manor House and Forest Lodge, Camp John Hay in Baguio City from May to end of September in 2015, with an encore in July to end of September in 2017.  In March 2018 he will be showcasing his works again at Camp John Hay.  He participated in the group exhibit Art Elements at the SM Global City in May 2018. Jun is an active member of many Philippine and Australian art groups such as Art Philippines, International Watercolor Society – Philippines, Philippine Guild of Watercolorists, Australian Studio Painters, and Castle Hill NSW Art Society. His genuine appreciation and deep gratitude for the simple things around us that we barely see everyday compel Jun Velasco to capture their beautiful essence and puts them all on canvas or in paper, for eternity.  “The blue skies, the majestic trees, the sunlit color, shade of the leaves, the sound of flowing water – even the voices of my loved ones are just a few of those marvelous things that continually bring joy to me…”  Given this visual musicality that we can easily find in all his works, it is not surprising that everyone relates to the beautiful mind of Jun Velasco, and reconstructing it inside their own private homes, like reciting a poem or singing a ballad, transforming a whole new world of hope, peace and beauty out of Jun’s landscapes, portraits and flowers.   For Inquiries, contact Jun Velasco - 0418606516.