If there are two things that distinguish Jaime Ibanez from other artists who have been featured at ARTablado, the popular exhibit space located at Robinsons Galleria, it’s his innate talent and dexterity with his fingers.
The artist has been building miniature castles since he was five years old. Using only his imagination and child-like wonder, he was able to create castles with no scaling or sketching involved. By carefully cutting pieces of cardboard and gluing them together, he managed to come up with fantastical creations.
People who saw what he could come up with were amazed and offered to buy them but the young Jaime then couldn’t imagine putting a price to his pieces and selling them off.
Jaime’s interest as a child would continue as an adult. He trained under Hollywood art director Bob Dennis from Paramount Parks. This led him to work in the country’s first and only world-class theme park, Enchanted Kingdom in Sta. Rosa, Laguna. “I worked there for 15 years as a scenic artist, and was responsible for the theme and hand-painted designs for the entire park,” he recounted.
Even as he worked for a living, Jaime continued to feed his passion for creating with his hands, making paintings in a range of styles and on different subjects. Flowers in a blue vase have a dreamy abstract vibe while a landscape of farmers planting rice crouch over their work in stark, psychedelic relief. His facades of bahay na bato and other structures highlight a remarkable attention to detail. He also makes historical churches of the Iglesia ni Cristo in the Philippines and in other countries
Still, he is best known as the Castle Maker of the Philippines and at his ongoing exhibit at ARTablado that runs until Jan. 15, 2025, visitors can take a closer look at his castle miniatures. This isn’t his first solo exhibit; it’s his fifth and his second at Robinsons Galleria. He likened it to a “homecoming” because in 2002, he exhibited some of his pieces at Dreamscape.
“I’ve exhibited my miniatures and paintings in malls, schools, hospital lobbies, art galleries, theme parks and amusement parks. I am currently a freelance miniature scenic artist creating one-of-a-kind pieces for my clients and for collectors,” Jaime said.
He chose the title “The Masterpiece of Jaime Ibanez” for his ongoing exhibit because he said it’s his chance to show to the public the different themes and art styles he has experimented on. He said he admires the works of Filipino masters Malang, Amorsolo and Joya but said it is important that his work be “always unique.”
Jaime is hopeful that visitors to the exhibit will be inspired by his masterpieces, adding that his talent is a gift. “I was able to make everything on display with God’s help. I am only a vessel to inspire others so that they will realize that nothing is impossible with God’s grace.”
