Marie Clara Chronicles

Maria Clara…

Here is a sneak peek of a new collection I’m developing (soon in greeting cards and decor). It is largely inspired by my performance of Jose Rizal’s Mi Último Adiós back in the day.

I am a Baybayin enthusiast but Spanish Colonial Philippines dominates my subconscious, and my heart effortlessly gravitates to it perhaps because I grew up in two century old houses — permanently in my mom’s ancestral house and sunday lunches at my dad’s ancestral house. They are typically called “Bahay na Bato” and they have always been like huge time machines to me, bringing elements of history (photos and my ancestors’ artifacts) and the colonial past into my life while growing up. I am now forever curious about what it was like to live in old Philippines.