MARI DE LEON HAUTEA
I graduated in 1982 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts, major in Advertising, from the College of the Holy Spirit, Mendiola, Manila.
My last employment, before retiring, was with Filstar Distributors Corporation, the exclusive licensee of Hallmark Cards in the Philippines. I was Assistant Vice President for Marketing and Product Management for ten years before leaving the company in 2015.
As Marketing Head, my task was to conceptualize promotional and advertising campaigns and strategies for Hallmark Cards and all the other brands to wit Bic Writing Instruments, All About Scrapbooking, etc.
As Head of Product Management, I was responsible for validating the product make & quality, design balance, good image, and saleability of the products we created under the different brands mentioned above. I also coached, guided, taught the team about corporate designing, logo restrictions, and company design culture on image and branding.
After leaving Filstar Distributors Corporation in 2015, I decided to pursue my passion for the arts. I started with freehand drawing using the art of Zentangle (a relaxing art style where one draws structured patterns using fine point markers). I was blown away by this art style as the lines and strokes I created were unplanned. They all just flowed out of my pen. Those moments took me to a different level of happiness. It was, in fact, spirit-led, where I felt God squeezing out all the pent-up artistry in me.
The Art of Mandala was another discovery. From spiritual beginnings, mandalas are rhythmic images formed in a circular pattern. Some may look like lace prints or others like cosmic out-of-this-world creations. Either way, Mandalas became another therapeutic art form for me. Being retired and not used to just staying home, executing these patterns erased feelings of uneasiness. I recommend this art form for anyone trying to fight depression.
In 2017, I decided to share my knowledge in art by opening my doors to teaching. I engaged in private one-on-one classes. It became a passion to teach. It was an excellent opportunity to help students bring out the best in themselves while enjoying the process of discovering their hidden and innate talents in the fields of arts and crafts.
These little achievements made me feel I needed to further my craft and earn something, even just a bit. I started creating personalized memo pads. Instead of just printing out or drawing alphabets of peoples’ names, I decorated these alphabets individually. I experimented with different strokes and images that fit into the tiny letters. I was so engrossed with this art style that it became an income earner for two straight years. Nothing huge that would have made me filthy rich, but it was more of God’s way of allowing me some personal pride knowing a little money was coming in. It also kept me occupied, especially after retirement. And the biggest blessing that came out of all this was an order I received from a client who made these memo pads her wedding giveaway. You cannot imagine the feeling of accomplishment – – realizing that God had planned that all along. That was the most significant answered prayer in my life as an artist.
Maybe at that point, I could say that was it. But as an artist, filled with passion and overflowing with ideas, I didn’t stop there. I ventured into painting terracotta pots, katsa fabric, and wooden products purchased from Benguet Mountain Province. These have also become a little income earner but nothing grand. The selling prices just covered the cost of materials like paint and brushes. But the satisfaction of hearing praises about the work I did was better than any monetary reward.
I call this latest art style Intuitive Painting, freeing my creative self. Not allowing rules to distract me and letting go of perfection. That’s why the images don’t look natural, but they represent images from the real world. That’s intuition – – understanding something immediately without the need for reason or explanation.
I even went as far as painting a portrait of my husband using this technique. It was a dare I made to myself, and I did it – – my first ever portraiture.
Intuitive painting takes my senses to a different level. When depressed, disturbed, or unsure of life at the moment, I turn to this art style. I know God gave that to me, again, to free my inner self and to be at peace stroking away with my paintbrush.
In 2020, I got the biggest surprise of a lifetime when The Yuchengco Museum called me up and offered to sell my intuitive art in their Books & Gifts Shop located on the ground floor of the RCBC Plaza in Makati. Imagine selling my creations in a physical store? What a blessing indeed. Not only that, but their shop also sold online through Facebook. The only downside of this transaction is it happened just when the pandemic required NCR to be under Community Quarantine (CQ). That was March of 2020. But I never gave up. I was able to sell several terracotta pots and wooden “salakots” (helmets). I am optimistic about business picking up sometime in the middle of 2022. If you have the time, check it out at https://www.facebook.com/yuchengcomuseumbooksandgiftsonline/
Since we were kids, our elders taught us that we should use and propagate the talents that God has gifted us to share with others, spark happiness in people’s lives, uplift morale, and, if possible, earn from it, too. There may be some of us who are still unaware of the talents we received. I’d say, don’t stop discovering them.
I am thankful that I discovered mine at an early age. God allowed me to use it in my 30 years of work with Hallmark Cards (Filstar). It may not have been as an artist per se, like directly designing and painting the products myself, but it was more of utilizing my talent for detail, color, symmetry, and balance.
And now that I am fully retired, I continue to use my art to keep me busy, productive, and very much fulfilled. It is a priceless gift that I will embrace for the rest of my life. It will be something for me to cherish even until after I can no longer hold a paintbrush in my hand.
Wow! Truly artistic, inspiring and fulfilling for you! I have always dreamed of this for myself, but have never been able to do it, even after retirement…all my materials and magazines collecting dust. He he he! All the best!
Hi Susan, Thanks for appreciating my work. We should paint together some day!
God bless you more, Ms. Mari💖🙏💗 I hope to have one of your creation hehe…
God bless you, too, Carmelita!
Proud MVBF here! I wish I could have any of your beautiful creations! God bless you always and praying that one day we will be in a beautiful view together having breakfast. Miss you MVBF
Hi Frany MVBF!! I look forward to that day, God willing. Missing our together times…
Sis Mari I cam to know you more with this write up. Such great and God filled talent and yet so humble. Am happy to have some of your works that I made as token/gifts to my friends and sad that none was left for me (all my friends love it by the way). But will await for your next sale and this time it will be mine already 😊. Keep painting Sis. God bless. 🙏🏻
Hi Doris! Now you know who Mari is deep inside🤗….. Thanks for embracing my art. God be with you, Sis!
Such wonderful creations, Mari! You are truly blessed. I also got fascinated with zentangles and lately, been using it as a tool to relax, focus and just allow myself to flow. Hope to get hold of your artworks.
Thanks so much, Nancy. Art really provides our much-needed respite from this busy crazy world.🤗
wow, beautiful creations, Mari! thanx for sharing ur art journey. u dont know me, am classmate of originator white butterfly.Where do u sell these? if not over-priced, i may wana buy.
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