As a young child growing up in the Philippines, Rolando Corpus was surrounded by music. He was the youngest of five boys plus a younger sister, all of whom played instruments. As the only child not playing, he was left to his own pursuits…art. While his siblings practiced under thier father's tutelage, Rolando spent his time drawing and painting. At that time, water colors were the least expensive, so he started working in that medium. His uncle, Tito Goy, who himself was an accomplished painter (Federico Aguilar Alcuaz) was visiting and noticed Rolando's keen interest in art. He invited Rolando to practice in his own studio.
Alcuaz' studio was comprised of three rooms on the 20th floor of the Manilla Hilton hotel – a bedroom and 2 rooms for painting. Alcuaz introduced Rolando to oils, providing him with the paints, pallet, and canvas to take his passion further. Often after school, Rolando would take public transportation for over an hour to his uncle's studio to learn and paint. At first, he says, he felt he was quite terrible, but after time and under his uncle's guidance, he became more and more proficient.
His uncle's encouragement and support had a great impact on his life. So much so, that Rolando was awarded a scholarship to St. Joe’s in Fine Arts and History here in Philadelphia. There he learned how to blend his passion for art with computer technology which opened up another creative outlet as a graphic designer. This is currently his professional field. But his passion has always been painting.
Rolando says he looks at the simple things right in front of him to paint…light values, shapes, colors…it’s all right there. "I paint what I see." He enjoys abstract art, but when he paints, he leans towards what he describes as, "the simple beauty in what’s in front of me." When he walks through Media, he says he sees so much inspiration in everyday life. Visually, Media provides him with wonderful subject matter on every corner. He shares, "Everywhere you look is something exciting and worth putting on canvas."