by Myra Kalaw
~ Photos by Tita Recometa-Brady

My first conversation with Tita Recometa-Brady was facilitated over Zoom, and despite the blurred background and camera lag, it was an enjoyable way to connect with a fellow artist on the first weekend of the year.  

MYRA: Hi, Tita! How are you? 

TITA: Doing good, Myra. I am in my studio right now. It’s the best studio I’ve ever had. My husband, Jim, and I decided to convert the garage and make it into a studio! But first, I had to design this –

Tita points her phone to the ceiling and a huge dome-shaped skylight appears on the screen.

MYRA: Oooh, nice, a domed skylight! Like in a renaissance building!  

TITA: I got the idea from the Romans. [laughs] SO I said why not let the light in, save on electricity – 

MYRA: Looks very pretty, and VERY bright! Tita, tell us about your upcoming show.

TITA: Okay the show is at SoNa Gallery. It’s from February 2^nd till March 16. Of course, everybody is invited. I would love it if we could have a show force of Filipinos and SINAG members and all that. [laughs] 

MYRA: I think we could do that. Tita, which came first – your round paintings, or your round skylight? [both laugh] 

TITA: I switched to round paintings only in 2004. But round paintings are not new – they go back to the Renaissance. In 2019, I created a series of round paintings, called Art-Words, which I compiled and made into a book. It’s called IF NOT NOW, WHEN?

MYRA: Can you bring some to the gallery?

TITA: Yes, they’re already there! But here’s something else I want to show you. I was an art teacher for several years, and I was given a research grant to go to China and study Emperor Qin Shi Huang Di and his terracotta soldiers! And even though taking pictures of the terracotta soldiers was not allowed at that time, I was able to study them closely.  

Outside of the tombs, cameras were okay, so I happily took pictures of everything! Look at this HUGE statue at the entrance! How little I am compared to its feet! I wish you could see it! 

MYRA: That would be epic!

TITA: Yes, when I went there in 1994, they’d only opened a couple of tombs. Now they’ve found more tombs! Can you imagine the number of soldiers in those tombs? So, it was a wonderful experience, and I came back and did presentations in libraries – I talked about what I learned, and showed them some documents.