We were sitting at the receiving area of Elvin Vitor’s garage-turned-studio, fresh off the boat from Cebu. The first thing I noticed about him was that although he appears as a youthful man, when he starts to speak, I feel like I am talking to an old soul. He looked me straight in the eye when he replied, not flinching even if difficult questions were thrown his way.
This is his story. Background This true-blue Boholano was born in Tagbilaran City, but spent his early childhood in the mountains of Sierra Bullones, then finally moved to Baclayon in 2011, where he is now based. His father was a teacher and Elvin would observe him as he made visual aids for class.
He was so intrigued by art that his father encouraged him to join contests during his elementary years. In high school, he became an introvert as his family focused more on religion, but he expanded his artistic skills to editorial cartoons and poster making. The decision for him to study drafting instead of fine arts in college was made by his parents and soon enough, he felt that he was unable to express his creativity in this field and had to take the matter of his schooling into his own hands.
First, he found work in a souvenir shop, where he began to come out of his shell, as he had to deal with different people. An aunt working abroad also helped him out so he could enroll himself in Fine Arts, always bearing in mind a message he heard from a speaker during his high school days — that one had to work hard and.