In the course of perplexities brought about by the pandemic, artist, Nea de Leon, acknowledges these adversities felt within her environment, sometimes a vision of bleak and barren lands. Despite prevailing conditions, she anchors to an innate aura of optimism and florescence depicted through her body of work.

In “Blooms,” De Leon pursues the themes of nature, flora, and foliage that mature with grace. This collection of artworks serves as a continuation of her last exhibition, “Thicket,” one that was also created during the height of the pandemic. Utilizing quilled paper, De Leon’s fascinations with the intricacies of leaves, petals, and vines, gravitate toward its tranquil movement – a form of escapism from immobility, and a healing flow that guides the artist’s hands with each delicate twirl and fold. Her choice of vivid colors emanates a rush of vibrant aspirations, a joyful feeling of blossoming into a renewed persona, both internally and externally. De Leon and her artworks are embodiments of resilience, and manifestations of progress, that from endured entanglement and out of the crevices, sincere hope blooms.

Write-up by Deseree Mangulabnan