Beyond sizes and colour: capturing the importance of humanity through arts

"Part of what I love to do is try to connect with other people, try to build some sort of human connections; the human face is a power tool to communicate - it's a language that speaks across many languages." So says emerging artist Kristone Capistrano when asked about his large scales contemporary drawings and portraiture.

Kristone Capistrano working on his Blake Prize entry 'From Mosul to Mt Druitt' Source: SBS Filipino

The artist and teacher continues that "today's world is inundated with so many faces on social media, and we just keep swiping it; and so I make really large portraits that you can't just swipe away and dismiss it; this is a real human person with dignity that really deserves portrayal, there's a beauty in that human person."

While he focuses on drawing real life people, he also wants to convey a deeper meaning trying to reflect stories of hope and new beginnings to his works.

He just entered into the Blake Prize competition with his drawing piece of a Father and Child refugee called 'From Mosul to Mount Druitt'.

Though he is no stranger to winning prizes - he was awarded the Blacktown Arts Prize and People's Choice Award by the Blacktown Arts Centre last year, and in 2011, a large black-and-white charcoal drawing of a homeless man has won him $35,000 major award in the City of Perth Black Swan Prize for Portraiture - Kristone Capistrano aims to enter and win more prizes so he can live off his art without doing part time work teaching.

Kristone Capistrano while busy drawing at the Liverpool Artist Studios where he got a residency (SBS Filipino) Source: SBS Filipino