Danielle Baldono - The Multimedia Astrophysicist

Updated: Mar 22, 2020

PINQUE

In a school focused on the academic rigor that carries it, many of the skills and talents of Fugenistas are left unnoticed, more so in a city lacking the opportunities to help cultivate such passions. The PINQUE Series aims to bring light to those talented Fugenistas who go far and beyond the calling of an ordinary student to showcase his/her talents for the benefit of others and/or for the sake of the art itself.

Here, our second interviewee, Danielle S. Baldono, discusses her passion for the arts and Astrophysics, her inspirations for improvement, opinion on the ever-changing art landscape, and her never-fading love for multimedia arts and everything tied to it.

This interview was conducted on February 20, 2020 at Future Generation Philippine International School, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Interviewer (EJ Laurel): It’s a pretty busy day here at FuGen; too many things to do, but the sky looks like it’s about to clear up into summer. In this interesting weather, we have our next interviewee for the PINQUE series: Danielle S. Baldono from 9-Curie.

Baldono: Yes *chuckles*. I’m a very determined person and a multimedia artist. When I say I’m a multimedia artist that means my passion in the arts lies in more than one field. That means that as a multimedia artist, I aspire to improve in multiple areas and not just in one field.

Determination, the heart of who you are: an artist. To an artist, there are many aspects to it that make it interesting—you have your own style, audience, etc. But nowadays, some artists don’t know how to make people notice—how to stand out. How would you try to stand out from the crowd or get people to take you seriously?

Well, in that sense, I can’t force people to appreciate my art, but for them to take me seriously all I have to do is to create what I love creating. As long as it satisfies me and I get a sense of self-fulfilment through my artworks, I think that’s all I need to accomplish.

It really puts things to perspective for many working artists—do what you love and everything else will follow. But working artists have to do side hustles first: work and get money to support themselves. Even students have to study and handle assignments. What would you do to reach you goals of success?

Academics-wise I plan to take STEM this senior high, and I want to take STEM because I want to major in Physics and specialize in Astronomy, if that’s right? Because I have not looked further into which career requires which course, but so far that’s my path because I have a cousin who has a degree in Physics; I look up to him. That’s why I want to take the same course. So, I believe that I can manage it.

How about in the arts?

Art-wise, by the time I’m in the Philippines for college, I would try to start selling my art and participate in local exhibits to put my work out there some more, and to gain exposure. Once I get exposure, I hope I would get sponsorships and opportunities to be able to improve my art more; like, I would be getting training worldwide, or I would be promoted to a higher level of art learning, art training and such. And I’m just hoping that someday, I will reach my goal of having a museum dedicated to my own artworks.

That requires a lot of time. People who have their own museums and exhibits have gone through a lot of failures and struggles. How about you? How long have you been painting?

The very, very first time I painted was in KG1, but the time when I started to take my art seriously was when I was in 4th grade. During my Christmas in 4th grade, I decided to have a set of professional markers as my Christmas gift, just because I was inspired and I saw it online *laughs*. And I decided to try it out. When my parents found out I had potential and my works were showing something at an early age, the next year I decided to try so many forms of art in just the span of one year. I have always been trying new forms and new mediums because my parents always try their best to support me by providing me with every art material that I need.

Your parents have been important in your progression. That’s actually really good considering that we’re talking about the arts here. But who or what is your inspiration as a student artist?

*chuckles* Honestly speaking, my inspiration is my future self. I look up to my parents and to my family, of course, but the reason why I don’t have a main inspiration is because instead of looking up to someone, I would rather be that someone I want to be. That’s why there is no exact person who has achieved what I want which is why I’ll be the first person to achieve that.

That’s some wise stuff right there. And when it comes to being the person you look up to, you have to explore and try different things. Yet, other artists are stuck in one style, medium, trend. To you, how important is versatility in an ever-changing landscape?

For me, versatility is important because a truly skilled artist is able to master any form of art. But that’s just in my opinion because there are also other artists out there whose expertise lies only in one field or in a few fields, yet their skills are really prominent. However, for me if an artist can accomplish many fields and media of art, then that means they are truly skilled.

In that case, do you think you’re on that right path to be that kind of person—the person who has mastered all these different forms of arts?

I can’t say that I’m exactly on the right path, but I’m getting to the right path because as of now, I’m still focusing on improving each field before randomly throwing myself into different fields of art and hoping to be the best at it. I take each field one at a time, and I try to master it before going on to the next one.

So many fields—do you have a favourite medium or form of media right now?

Right now, I think my favourite medium of art is either oil or acrylic. Those are also the forms of art that I plan on improving on in the future. That would be my main field, as well as digital art because this is the technological age; I feel like digital art should be given as much respect and importance as traditional art.

Isn’t painting in oil considered difficult though? What medium is, to you, the most difficult, mindbogglingly arduous?

I can’t really say which is the hardest medium in art because I haven’t tried all of them yet, but as of lately the one field or medium of art that I find super difficult, or trying to master or excel in, is pastel. I’m still improving on it, and I hope to become better in that medium. As for oil, I don’t find it as difficult as compared to pastel since it still has a similar texture to that of acrylic; I can still switch between oil and acrylic with ease. Not so much with pastel.

Well, I guess I can agree on that point *laughs*. But to know all these different styles and forms requires some form of art history to be embedded into your head. And some people say you can not be an artist without knowing art history. What are your thoughts on that kind of thinking?

It would be good if you’re a well-informed artist, like you know about the past masters and you know their works because it would really aid you in knowing what’s desirable for your artworks. However, I don’t think you need to know about every single detail about art history to become an artist; anyone who has the intention of making art is considered an artist.

And therefore, anybody can be an artist; that’s how the past masters came to be after all. Speaking of past masters, who’s your favourite of the bunch?

*chuckles* The one that I relate to is Van Gogh, but the one who has a similar history to what I want to achieve is da Vinci because he was known to be not only an artist, but from what I read in my book *laughs*—my lessons last year—he was also an engineer, a chemist, an inventor, a mathematician, and an architect. He was so many things and I aspire to be more than what he was. However, for Van Gogh, I really look up to his works because most of his well-known works were made during his time on his road to recovery when he was suffering from mental issues. To see him create such excellent artworks despite going through so much is something I really, really relate to.

That sounds familiar, truly. Since you’re in FuGen, which is obviously synonymous with academic horror, how do you balance your art with school work?

I balance my art and academics through very intense time management, and when I mean time management, I sacrifice a lot of my time for social media, my time for socializing and going out on weekends, and most importantly I sacrifice my sleep, which is actually a bad thing *laughs*. It should not have to be done, but I just have to sometimes because it’s needed for me to accomplish all the things that I need to accomplish. I do have friends who share similar passions with me; they share the same passion with me which is art. However, each of my friends—including I—have talents in the art that are in different fields and aspects.

That’s really interesting because a few days earlier, I remember you stating that you want to be an astrophysicist. Art and Astrophysics—nobody expects it. So, why Astrophysics?

Well, *laughs* honestly speaking I haven’t looked or researched further into the topic or the career itself, but what really attracted me to Astrophysics is that ever since I was young I’ve always been interested in Astronomy. Especially as of late, whenever I have time I read about newly discovered things that are related to Astronomy, and recently I have discovered something relating to dark matter, which is some sort of thing in outer space, and—I don’t know—ever since I discovered that I just wanted to be the one who studied more about it and to contribute a great discovery in that field of science, specifically Astronomy and Physics.

Well, the fact that you’ve managed to stay at the top of your interests and maintain your grades is one big achievement. And speaking of your interests, would you mind sharing some of your art with us?

Surely *laughs*.

There are many mediums of art that I’ve accomplished; when I was in 4th grade, I learned how to use markers. When I was in 5th grade, I learned how to use graphite, charcoal, watercolour, coloured pencils—a much more improved level of coloured pencils—and acrylic all in the span of one year. As the years passed by, I also learned how to use oil and *chuckles* more intense compositions in acrylics. Throughout the years, I’ve improved in digital art as well. If I recall correctly I started drawing digitally when I was in KG1. I don’t remember my exact age—2020 minus 2009?

It’s okay, let’s not do the Maths. *laughs*.

*laughs* But yes, it was around 2009 when I started trying to use a computer, but I never took it seriously. One of my earliest artworks was this.

I made it when I was in KG1, and you can already see there at an early age that I enjoyed drawing animals. Although it’s poorly made and it’s drawn in MS Paint, I was able to recover them by searching through my old files in my computer. It turns out that my dad has kept every single one of my digital artworks. That’s why I have a whole folder dedicated to those artworks. But I only started taking it seriously when I was in 4th grade. My artworks weren’t as polished that time, but I’m always trying my best to improve.

As of lately, one of my favourite digital artworks is this one.

I made this when I was 14 years old back in 2018. I painted half of it at home, and the rest I finished on an airplane, which was quite challenging because turbulence did not make it easy for me to have stable lines. But I finished it on a flight because I had nothing to do, and my iPad was still fully charged. Yes *laughs*.

And throughout the years, I have switched through many mediums and applications. When I was in KG1, of course, I used MS Paint *laughs*. When I was in 2nd grade, I got an iPad. So, in 3rd grade, I started drawing on the iPad with my fingers. It was a very sloppy artwork, but it’s okay; all that matters is you tried *chuckles*. And ever since 4th grade or 5th grade, that’s when I decided to upgrade to use the computer, and that’s when I tried to make better artworks using MS Paint until I had access to Paint Tool SAI and FireAlpaca. That’s when I started to *laughs* improve quite a lot in digital art. And ever since my parents really enjoyed my digital artworks as well, they decided to buy me a Wacom Intuos tablet, which I used for about 3-4 years until I got my iPad Pro, which is now my main medium for digital artworks.

How important is investing in your talent?

A lot *laughs*. Investing is really important because Although you don’t need expensive things to create a great artwork, I believe that having great access to better materials will certainly improve your artworks; having access to better trainings and such will really help you gain experience and knowledge from other artists as well. Yes, investing is very important.

Speaking of investing, a handful of artists invest a lot of time into making their artworks extremely realistic. Have you tried it?

Photorealism is something I haven’t really tried or looked up on, though I have seen many artists make or create photorealistic art. It amazes me to see how they completely create a world within their minds—within the boundaries of their imagination through something that you could visibly see.

Interesting. See, some people have argued that because it looks like an actual photo, it’s not really considered art anymore.

Like I had mentioned earlier, anything that has the intention of being art—anyone who has the intention of creating art—is considered art or is considered an artist. So, if they have the intention to create an artwork, it may not be an artwork to the audience, but it is an artwork to them, and what matters is how it is viewed in the eyes of the artist.

I mean, that’s how many logos seem to be to the audience—nothing truly artistic. But to its creator, it is art.

Yes, yes. Speaking of which, I’ve also created logos for the school. It’s not my expertise, and I’m not as excellent in logo-making, but I’ve also tried to create logos for the school, like the Earth thing last year of which I forgot the name. It was FuGen Green?

Green—Green Day. *laughs* Never mind.

*laughs* Wait—Ah, FuGen Goes Green. *laughs* I was the one who created the logo for FuGen Goes Green, the one for the shirt. I don’t have the full picture, but this is the original version of the logo.

I also created something for the stage decoration for Buwan ng Wika this year. It wasn’t printed as big, but this is the one I made.

Have you gained any popularity from doing this?

Actually, I have gained popularity because I am also very thankful that the principal has recognized my work and has given me the chance to showcase it—has credited the work to me. Last year, during FuGen Goes Green, they called for me to go up on the stage which was very nice. It made me very happy that my work was being recognized and credited.

Yea, you had a gallery last year, if I remember—an art gallery.

Yes, a mini art exhibit last year. Speaking of which, I also tried to remake the 30th SEA Games logo in my own way, while focusing on my own field of expertise which is with animals.

As you can see, the blue is above the red just like in the real Philippine flag, and the blue one is a tamaraw while the red one is a Philippine eagle. I made the logo again in my version because when my mom saw the logo for the SEA Games, she showed it to me one afternoon. Then she told me, “anak, why don’t you try to make your own version of the SEA Games logo?” So, I took that challenge despite it not being my expertise.

And you took it and made it into something better *laughs*. Speaking of challenge, what’s the hardest thing about art to you?

The hardest thing? For me, the hardest thing is trying to achieve what I have in my head—to achieve that exact image in my mind through my imagination and to be able to make it in real life. To be able to produce the things I have in my mind is one of the most challenging things I have encountered as an artist, and is still the most challenging thing for me as an artist.

When it comes to my artworks, they’re all challenging. I’ve made a lot of artworks, and each one is just as challenging in its own way. Just because it’s good in the eyes of others does not mean I settle for that already. I never settle for mediocre work, and I always try my best to make sure it exceeds my expectations.

That’s the spirit of an artist. However, so far, from what we’ve seen, you’ve only painted animals. Have you tried the human anatomy or any semblance of it?

*laughs* I have tried once—countless times. Needless to say, I am not good *laughs*. I have tried, however, and the reason I don’t focus on it is because I can not form an artwork without infinite references; like, it’s very hard for me to focus on human anatomy, which is why I don’t focus on it as much as other forms or styles. That’s why I don’t really enjoy creating artworks focusing on human aspects. Though I will admit I have tried, I am not very good at making those kind of artworks.

What do you enjoy then? Other than the ones you’ve already stated, of course, since I’m sure that exploring different fields is your thing.

Well, I actually like to design gowns and dresses. Spoiler alert, I actually designed my own prom dress for this year. I won’t let you guys take a picture, but I will show you.

I also enjoy designing outfits and clothes in my spare time. And it is also another aspect in art that I plan on improving.

What do you think of going to art school then? If you were given that opportunity, would you take it? Is it really worth it?

It’s enticing, and I’m really interested in it. However, I don’t focus on it and I prefer not to because my career of choice in the field of Science is still of much greater importance to me than my art, which is why I’d prefer to actually accomplish my Physics course first before my arts because I also believe that although it would help a lot to go to an art university and to improve your skills through the works of professors and art masters, art is very subjective, and you don’t necessarily have to take the path of other people to succeed.

That is a truth bomb, if I do say so myself. I mean, all one has to look at is drawing. Art school is not a necessity to mastering the art of graphite and charcoal. Which brings me to something you stated earlier—do you have any pieces that you’ve created with graphite or charcoal?

Ah, yes. This one is my charcoal artwork. This was under the guidance of an Arabic teacher. She didn’t do it, I did it. She was only the one who told me what to change, but everything I made on my own.

So far, the only teachers I have had in art are three. *laughs* The Filipino one was Ma’am Glory Abueva, the Arabic one is Ma’am Fatima Al Tamimi, and the Russian one—whose surname I forgot—was Ma’am Marina. They have all helped me a lot in the arts.

Have you tried taking on challenges? With these kinds of teachers, challenges are bound to come your way.

*laughs* Yes, yes. I also love taking on challenges. I don’t feel accomplished when I create something good but was not challenging because I feel like I should always be able to exert not 100 percent, but 101 percent in everything that I do, which is why I always, always accept a challenge when I can. One of those challenges was a few months ago when there was this public art exhibit thing, and there was this free class that they offered; it was just a free class to try out a new field in the arts where you get to paint on a bare white plate in under an hour using the materials they provided. And I was able to paint a plate in one hour. I painted this.

Aside from animals, my other focus is nature, which is also just as obvious because I like painting flowers, plants, skies, anything in nature; it fascinates me and it’s another thing that I focus on as well.

It’s insane to think that you’ve achieved all of this during high school. That begs the question, will you ever get tired of doing art?

I will never get tired of doing art; it’s my passion. It is an undying flame within my soul that will never burn out. I mean, I’ve done it for so long I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of doing it. For example, this acrylic tiger that I painted was with Ma’am Glory, the charcoal one was with Ma’am Fatima. This one, I painted with Ma’am Marina.

With Ma'am Marina

With Ma'am Glory

It’s not that big; it’s just A4. But yes, the fact that I still haven’t dabbled in a lot of forms of arts is proof that I will never get tired of it. One field that I plan on trying out next is sculpting.

Yes, amen *laughs*.

*laughs* Yes, I want to try sculpting because many of the past masters have also been great at sculpting. I just want to see if my skills can reach that scope and if I could possibly ever improve in it. That also brings me this one thing that I do to improve myself in the arts when I’m at school. As of late, I’ve been painting on my classmates’ arms with their permission, of course, because they ask me to. And I’m gladly willing to paint on their arms using acrylic paint. So, within the span of around 30 minutes to about an hour, I paint artworks on their arm.

This one was around 20 minutes, I think. Of course, I signed it; it’s a fragment of me, therefore it should have me *laughs*.

I also painted this. I also painted Mt. Fuji, which is the size of a coin. It was difficult because I’m used to painting bigger things, but this was the size of a coin, which was hard for me.

I also made a fake tattoo on my classmates using markers because I had nothing else to do.

This one is my favourite one that I’ve painted on their arm. It took me around an hour. It’s actually really hard because the process is not continuous since I’m busy and I have to wait for it to dry.

Despite classes, you still find time to paint *laughs*. How about your phone case?

*laughs* Yes, I did this one, po. That’s why whenever I buy a phone case, I make sure it’s always clear because I’m always the one making the phone cover. I tried to draw NCT 127’s album cover. It’s a song titled Cherry Bomb and it’s one of my favourite songs, so I decided to recreate the album cover, and I decided to make it my album cover.

It looks like it was professionally made, which says a lot. This brings me back to you and art. You love talking about your artwork, but some people tend to say that it’s too much, you need to tone it down a bit—you need to be humbler with your art. What would you say to that?

It’s not like I’m bragging about what I can do, but rather I am just very proud to show my passion and to inspire others. All I want to do is to be the best version of myself and to inspire others to do the same.