Maria Nellie Bautista or Maria Nellie has the heart of an artist throughout her life. Although she took a Bachelor of Arts degree and another degree in Foreign Service from the Lyceum of the Philippines to prepare her for a promising career, her artistic cravings always surfaced in spite of her busy schedule.
When she moved to Canada in 1973, the call of the artistic muses grew louder everyday. Unable to contain it any longer, she started to take a variety of art courses in different schools in Toronto like the Central Tech, the Art Gallery of Ontario and the Royal Ontario Museum. When she went back to the Philippines, she took more art courses at the Ayala Museum in Makati. Back in Toronto, she tracked down the studios of accomplished artists of various cultures and nationalities to study their art and their lives. She took particular interest in the works of Camille Muller who specialized in porcelain art and taught her the rudiments of painting on plates. The art of printmaking also beckoned on her through another lady artist, printmaker Lorna Livy. Nellie is also taking courses in Chinese brush painting. Her thirst for art is slowly but steadily being satisfied in so many different areas. Her dream of being a true artist is at last coming to fruition.
In her search for more art and artists on the web, Nellie visited www.philippineartists.com. She liked what she saw, readily contacted the webmaster and got a quick response and an invitation to join the group from website creator himself, P.A.G. member, Jhun Diamante. In her short stint with the group, she is now the PAG secretary and one of its most active and dedicated members.
