040: Marcus Villaverde

Based in Guam, Marcus Villaverde is a Filipino multimedia artist who specializes in graphic design and illustration.

He humorously refers to himself as a "slave to corporate America" but his true passion lies in creating art that investigates beauty and sparks the human imagination. Marcus's artistic journey began in his youth, and despite the challenges of growing up in a place where an art career seemed unattainable, he pursued his passion with determination. His art is a reflection of his abstract thoughts, creative inspirations, and lived experiences.

Repolyo (Ibang iba), 2024
12” x 16”
Mixed media on canvas
*Marcus Villaverde*

Marcus defines art as an investigation of beauty, driven by skill and creativity. He acknowledges that art is subjective, but believes that the pursuit of beauty, whether positive or negative, is a common thread. For example, van Gogh’s "Starry Night" captures the beauty of a moonlit scene, while Caravaggio’s "Judith Beheading Holofernes" depicts a darker, yet still meaningful, exploration of justice. Marcus’s art is often an expression of his thoughts, but sometimes it’s simply about what he finds visually appealing at the moment. His college years, surrounded by fellow creatives, played a significant role in shaping his artistic style.

Ma’ok, 2022
Mixed media on canvas
24” x 30”
*Marcus Villaverde*

Inspiration for Marcus’s art comes from a wide array of sources, ranging from movies and music to philosophy and personal experiences. He cites influences from street art and graffiti artists like Banksy and Shepard Fairey, to animators like Hayao Miyazaki. Over time, he began to look up to local artists he personally knew, including professors and friends from both Manila and Guam. He believes that knowing these artists personally makes their successes seem achievable and celebrates the creative victories of his peers as much as his own.

When faced with creative blocks, Marcus emphasizes the importance of rest and reflection. He used to feel guilty for taking breaks, but now he sees rest as an essential part of the creative process. It allows him to return to his work with fresh perspectives and renewed inspiration. His artistic process is organic, with no systematic approach; rather, his creations evolve as he does, with each piece reflecting different stages of his life.

Tropical Depression, 2023
Acrylic, ink, and charcoal on canvas
40” x 60”
*Marcus Villaverde*

Marcus's art has evolved over time, yet it retains a consistent vibe that marks it as his own. He didn’t choose to be an artist; he jokes that the "artist life chose him." Growing up in Guam, pursuing art as a career wasn’t a clear path, but it became the only option that felt right. Marcus’s advice to aspiring artists is to master the basics, understand the tools of the trade, and develop a keen eye for what makes good art. He believes that while art is subjective, there are objective elements that distinguish great art from bad. Ultimately, Marcus creates art for anyone willing to engage with it, hoping to move and inspire through his work.

“Don’t just jump into doing art without understanding the creation, the science, and the philosophy of art.”

— Marcus Villaverde

To read Marcus Villaverde’s full interview, continue reading below. Also, follow him on Instagram (@marcake.me) and check out his personal website.

Please introduce yourself and describe what you do. (short bio please!)

I am Marcus Villaverde, and I am a Guam-based multimedia artist specializing in graphic design and illustration. Sometimes I masquerade as a fine artist. Most of the time I am a slave to corporate America.

How would you define art?

I feel like this is a loaded question because art is subjective. But (from my subjective lens, haha) the driving force behind art is objective, so I’ll try my best to answer this. Personally, I define art as an investigation of beauty through skill and creativity to spark the human imagination.

With that said, not all art shines a light on the beautiful but an “investigation of beauty” seems to always be the goal—this could be seen as a dichotomy: e.g. positively, van Gogh’s Starry Night is an exaggeration of capturing the beauty found in a moonlit scene in Southern France. Negatively, Caravaggio’s Judith Beheading Holofernes captures a scene of a woman beheading a man, which holds levels of apophatic beauty—at a surface level, we see that a beautiful society is void of hate and violence. On a deeper level, whether you would celebrate Judith’s actions or not, we see that there is beauty when oppressors get justice.

Why did you choose your art form?

I create the art I do as an expressive manifestation of the abstracted thoughts I ponder on, but let’s be honest—most of the time, it’s just whatever I think would look cool and whatever I have at hand.

How did your high school/college years affect the work you make today?

I think my college years have helped shape who I am as an artist and the art that I make. I cannot exactly say the same about my high school years since I felt there were only about 5 kids in my high school who were into art. But when I was in college, I was surrounded by peers and professors who were fellow creatives; thus, I was constantly surrounded by art and creativity—from sketch sessions at the Jollibee near my school to hanging out at Vinyl on Vinyl (The Collective era) during an art show opening.

Who do you idolize?

When I started taking my art seriously around my senior year of high school to my freshman year of college, I really idolized a lot of street and graffiti artists like Banksy, Shepard Fairey, Invader, Barry McGee, ESPO, Neckface, and Os Gemeos. As well as animators and cartoonists like Hayao Miyazaki, Pendelton Ward, and Tex Avery.

Eventually, the more I made acquaintances and friendships with the artists I met both in Manila and in Guam, I started to look up to artists I personally know. Most of which are my professors and leading or upcoming artists in Manila who I’ve personally met and had conversations with. These would include Auggie Fontanilla, J. Pacena II, Robert Besana, Mark Salvatus, Raxenne Maniquiz, Dex Fernandez, Manix Abrera, Mr. S, Yeo Kaa, Hulyen, Reen Barrera, Blic, and so much more! For Guam artists, it’d be friends like Josh Barrigada, Gino Datuin, Andrew Gulac, Gera Datuin, Richelle Canto, Lucille Ronquillo, John Bermudes, and others.

With all that said, I find that looking up to artists you personally know helps, because it shows that their successes are impossible for you. Also, celebrating your friends’ creative wins is always a fun time.

Where do you get your inspiration?

I draw inspiration from many sources—movies, music, food, literature, geek culture, pop art, the surrealist movement, street art, existential philosophy, the angst of life, the chaos of Metro Manila, the mundaneness of Guam life, heartbroken experiences, the Romantic era, human depravity, morality, Christian theology, nostalgia, the cerebral, things invisible, C.S. Lewis, Salvador Dali, Hayao Miyazaki, Banksy, the movie Fight Club, that time I saw Explosions in the Sky open their set with First Breath After Coma, boonie dogs, dead saints like Augstine of Hippo and Thomas Aquinas, the first time I had shawarma at some stand in Subic Bay, late night walks in BGC, my wonderful friends and family, and melancholic bouts of homesickness for somewhere you’ve never been. Basically, everything that has shaped me as a person has also shaped me as an artist.

What do you do when you're stuck on an artwork or lacking motivation or inspiration?

Whenever I get creative fatigue or a creative block, I just stop. I used to feel guilty for having long periods of art inactivity—even to the point when I would doubt if I truly was an artist—but I realized that rest is important. As someone who has a full schedule of responsibilities outside of art, I realized that I cannot do it all. This is particularly important now that I am in my 30’s. Rest, no matter how long, is not an enemy of creativity. In fact, it is a tool to reorient your perspective towards your art, and a time of reflection to ponder on the idea you want your art to convey.

Trust me. If you can’t seem to continue, just stop: rest and come back when you’re ready to get your hands dirty again.

What do you like incorporating most into your art?

Whenever I make art, no matter the medium, I like incorporating layers, particularly abstracted expressions in the form of chaotic scribbles or calculated strokes that seem aimless. Then there are layers of these cerebral creatures of the unseen. They look like random doodles of brain parts, microscopic viruses, and sea coral. I like to think I’m known for that style.

Take us through your process for making art.

I don’t have a systematic or calculated plan whenever I make art. Most of the art I create usually sprout organically from a spring of thoughts and inspirations I gather from my daily life. This is why I believe in the importance of rest—it is an essential part of my process. When I step back from a piece of art I am working on, I am a different person than who I was when I started, so my thoughts and ideas would be more developed. And I would have probably have had a newfound inspiration for the piece.

Also, I believe that this is where the layers in my work come—each component of my art is a piece of me documented from various fragments of my life.

What do you struggle with the most when making art?

As a local artist, I think I can say that some of my struggles are mutual. But some of these things might be too cliche, so I will share a struggle that I feel is quite unique (but probably not) to me.

A big struggle I have as an artist is this push and pull I have within me. I am not entirely sure how to define it—an identity issue, an existential crisis, or just trying to find balance between reality and ambition—but I struggle with trying to be grounded in what is possible and trying to pursue my career in art. This is difficult for me when I have lived my early 20’s setting goals of becoming one of the best artists out there, if not in the world, then at least in South East Asia and the Pacific. But I am already at the age where I know my place. Though I admit that I am not the artist I imagined myself to be when I was 20, I have accepted the fact that not everyone is destined for art greatness, but this struggle shouldn’t be an admit of defeat. This struggle of mine should remind me of the blessing I have been given, and that I must steward these creativity and artistic gifts.

What role do artists have in society?

Whether it be prehistoric cave art, a grand Baroque scene, or colorful expressive splashes of vibrant color, art will always be an extension of humanity. This is important when it comes to understanding our collective experience, worldview, and ideals as a culture. It documents, it expresses, it educates, it provokes, and it entertains.

Yes, I believe that art cannot save the world. And that art can even be a selfish pursuit, but it is not unimportant. Art can touch and move a soul. Art can be a tool and a weapon for good. In art, we see what it means to be human. And we see what it means to live, to die; to love, to hate; to be full, to be lacking; to be weak, and to be strong.

What characteristics do you think all artists share?

We all have a love-hate relationship towards ourselves and our art. We love compliments and having our egos stroked, but we also hate selling out and surface-level flattery.

But most of all, we are very weird people. I’m surprised we even have friends.

What’s your favorite place in Guam?

This might be one of the weirdest answers you get for this question, but I love parts of Guam that speak to my lived experiences. I like seeing boonies dogs chilling outside a mom and pop store, or abandoned cars being pulled apart little by little on the side of the road, or graffiti on abandoned buildings, or the dingy low-middle class neighborhoods with plastic chairs out on the lawn. Yes, Guam is paradise, but I feel like these quirks make up the real Guam; thus, inspiring me to create art that really speak to my soul.

How has your artwork evolved over time?

Yes! All the time, but there are elements and themes that recur. My art—no matter the medium or year completed—will always have a feel or vibe that I created thr work. Because no matter how much I change, my hands will do what it wants to do and my eyes will always see what it wants to see.

Why did you choose to become an artist?

I didn’t choose the artist life, the artist life chose me!

Jokes aside, pursuing art was a last minute decision after high school. I was always artistic and creative growing up. I loved drawing and making music and creating things in general. I even had my first art exhibit in the 5th grade through the GATE (Gifted & Talented Education) program in elementary school.

But after all this, I had no idea I could pursue an art career because growing up most of my life in Guam, I did not see that as an option. After high school, most of my friends were either enlisting to be in the military or pursuing a degree in education. And, to be honest, none of those options felt right to me. But then whenI realized the only thing I am good at was creating, then I thought why not? I would never make it through boot camp and I’d make a lousy teacher, anyway.

Is your art geared towards a specific audience?

I don’t have a specific target audience for my art, but I would be happy if I’m able to move those who are willing to see what I have to say through my art.

Do you have any tips for aspiring artists?

Don’t just jump into doing art without understanding the creation, the science, and the philosophy of art.

First, understand the basics—know your color theory, understand the beauty of composition, master proportions and perspectives, and learn how values work.

Secondly, master the tools—play around the various media and learn how each one works and how some can work together. It is okay to get messy and make mistakes with this. Learn how to hone the craft pf your choosing.

Lastly, have a good eye for art, whatever your style is—in other words, know what makes good art good and bad art bad. Yes, art is subjective but the general rules of art are objective. You can paint an ugly subject like war or even fecal matter, but a great artist can make you feel things—whether good or bad. Boring art is just bad art, even if technique is there.

041: Christel Aguon

039: Elena Cruz