Some things were conspiring that Tuesday night the 27th of November in this part of the world. It was raining--not a real downpour and not a drizzle either, just a steady kind of November rain.

It was nature imitating art.

The exhibit was Ode to Water by Karina "Kaka" Baluyot, hosted by Jack Teotico in his Galerie Raphael on the second floor of the Serendra in Global City.

Family, friends and patrons were there to support the artist in her 3d one woman show.

What struck me about her works on display were the maturity of her brush strokes--controlled, yet playful; authoritative, yet really unassuming. These attributes actually made her paintings--characterized by thick dubs of oil paint sculpted to bear form and texture--heavy on the mental side, yet fresh and accessible.

Also, there is a raw kind of sensuality that lingers tucked somewhere beneath the totality of her individual paintings, like the scent of Channel No. 5 long after Carmen had left the dim-lit room.

Definitely, passion murmurs through this collection of still life and landscapes, like a fitting harmony to the sensuality of her composition. I could only imagine fulfilled desires and times when longing seems so unbearable through the night.

I could imagine the impact of the late American Georgia O'keefe's representational abstractions, except that flowing through Baluyot's veins are the subtlety of an Asian steeped in the trappings of Western thought, philosophy and socio-economic lifestyle.

A doctor who holds clinic at St. Lukes Medical Center in Quezon City blurted out as he emerged from the gallery to the buffet table: "I know that Karina paints, but I didnt' know that she's this good."

Another guest told me, almost as if whispering to my ear: Alam mo ang maganda dito, supportado siya ni Jack. I mean, let's face it, ilan ang katulad niya?

We may be witnessing here Baluyot's first three steps toward edification though the march is obviously long.

It's a different feeling to write about someone you know to a certain extent than writing about someone you haven't really shared space and time with other than the yield of research.This is how I'm writing about Karina Baluyot, one of the most dynamic and vibrant young artists in the Philippines today. We are like--come to think of it now--soulmates. Once in a while we hang out together, and--wala lang--talk about life in general and as it pertains to her art and my photography. I am comfortable sharing a meal or coffee with her in a in a coffee shop or restaurant in a mall or somewhere else.

I'm writing about Kaka--her nickname--because tonight is her third one woman show at Galarie Raphael on the 2d floor of Serendra in Global City. Called Ode to Water, the exhibit consists of 33 paintings on different media. She describes them as "...paintings on canvas, board and handmade paper. Depicting shells, the rain, waves, the sea and other elements inspired by water."

In the tradition of theater and the performing arts, you don't wish cast and crew good luck but the ominous break a leg.

Pray tell: What do you say to a painter on the opening night of her exhibit?