THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, June 26, 1994 TAG: 9406230160
SECTION: CAROLINA COAST PAGE: 36 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: Nancy McWilliams
DATELINE: 940626 LENGTH: Medium
Raised in Virginia Beach, Dumlao comes from a long line of art lovers and magicians. He graduated two years ago from James Madison University with an art degree and decided to settle on the Outer Banks.
{REST} Working in oil pastels and cast bronze, Dumlao creates magical pieces which reflect his fascination with other cultures. A small cast bronze figure of a Mayan god shows Dumlao's ability to capture mystical as well as whimsical qualities. Oil pastels of African mother and child and native American and wolf show his respect and understanding for other ways of life.
It is drawing that Dumlao prefers most. ``I like to strip down to the basics,'' he said. With pen or pencil, he shines, creating intricate, very detailed drawings. One of a Mayan god is also a maze, and upon close examination the viewer will find hidden symbols in the lines.
T-shirts are another way that this young artist is presenting his work today. Dumlao shares ideas about other cultures in his unusual shirt series called Earth Cultures Creations. Animals, native Americans and the reggae lifestyle all are intricately portrayed on T-shirts.
``The roots of my heart are in the Rastafari culture,'' Dumlao explains of his fascination for the Jamaican and African-inspired way of life that stresses brotherly love.
``I want to expand, and learn of all cultures,'' he said. If he can educate others along the way, he'll be even happier, especially if he is able to reach young people. ``I hope to spur an interest,'' he said. ``I would like to see people take it further. Maybe they'll study those cultures on their own.''
His special shirts can be seen at Cloud 9 in Nags Head, Kieko or Puffy's in Kill Devil Hills or nature stores in the area.
Though talented in many other areas, it is comic book art where Dumlao is most comfortable. ``It's my lifelong love,'' he explained. ``It's the art of story telling,'' and is not limited to children's tales, Dumlao said. He is now hard at work creating comics.
Recently the comic book industry has sprouted several independent publishing companies that feature minority characters, and Dumlao wants to get in on this trend. ``I'm honing my skills,'' he said. Currently he is completing a sample to send away. His Jamaican characters star in action-packed scenes.
His concentration on human figure studies has helped him immensely in this area, he said. Also, understanding proportions and being able to draw a variety of backgrounds helps.
Dumlao hopes to continue drawing comics as a freelancer and wants to travel to other countries to study the cultures which intrigue him, including Africa, Jamaica, South America, Australia and Europe. ``I'd like to see it all,'' he said.
Meanwhile, he is working restaurant and retail jobs this summer to get by and is concentrating on artwork as much as possible.
Dumlao finds the ocean inspiring and is constantly thinking up new ideas; for him real inspiration comes from God. Becoming active in the Rastafari culture has given his art more of a direction, he said. For him, the essence of Rastafari is a spiritual way of life based on love and brotherhood of all cultures.
At 23, Dumlao's dream is to tell stories through his comic books and to make a living at it. ``Who knows from there?'' he asked.
Children's books and animation are also attractive to him. ``I'd like to reach out to kids with ideas about other cultures.'' he stated.
His own interest in other cultures stems from his Filipino grandfather, he explained. ``I started out interested in Far East cultures.'' After studying Confucius and the Tao, his fascination later turned to South American and African cultures. ``Some people have a love for oceans or endangered species. For me it's a fascination with human cultures.''
While most of his college art courses concentrated on European art, Dumlao, through the study of anthropology, became engrossed with native American, African and Polynesian art. ``The interest had always been there,'' he said. ``It just expanded. I found the direction I'd like to go.''
by CNB