Mylene Quito’s mind works like an automatic machine gun, loaded with bullets stuffed with acrylic paint. Shoot it towards a canvas, and up springs works of art so enthralling, that one can hardly keep their eyes off them. In some ways, you could say that her work is a reflection of her inner being. What you see on the canvas is lively and abstract, chaotic and confident. Just ask any of her friends to define Mylene’s personality, and they won’t be able to give you a straight answer. She’s frank, she’s good, she’s quirky, she’s full of energy. Sometimes all at the same time. She likes to drink, to eat, to laugh. Perhaps that is what makes her such a compelling, yet enigmatic, artist. Her ability to put feelings into her brush strokes radiates off each piece she makes, to a point where no one can deny that a Mylene Quito painting is anything but hers. Manila is now in love with her, and will continue to be so until she decides to pack away her palette and easel.

Stating that the self-taught painter loves her job is an understatement. She lives for it. Although extremely warm and friendly to others, Quito admits that loner time in her studio is what really brings her to life. She is non-stop when she is in “the zone”, painting for hours upon hours, expressing herself through the magic of her artistry. Sometimes, she’ll be up all night, forgetting that real life actually happens during the day time. 5AM is often bedtime for the passionate artist. Her responsibilities outside her studio include her husband, motherhood, and managing multiple small businesses. Still, she makes it work by balancing it all. For example, she has inspired her children to love art as much as she does. Her youngest, still an infant, already knows how to use a brush.

Everybody knows all great artists have quirks. Mozart loved imitating cats. The Beatles took LSD while writing their greatest albums. Da Vinci slept for only four hours each day. For Mylene Quito, it’s having a glass of wine available at any time. It doesn’t matter if it’s dusk or dawn, because it’s Happy Hour somewhere in the world. In fact, our interview was scheduled at 1PM, and she was already sipping a cocktail with gusto. “I drink every day,” she says with a giggle. “It helps boost my energy, and I find it relaxing.” Don’t get her wrong, Mylene is very professional. In her short career, she has already shown her work in multiple exhibits, lends her hand to displaced children looking to be painters, and is one of the Metro’s most in-demand artists. She says “drinking” is just a part of her process, but she takes clients and deadlines very, very seriously.

Mylene produces an overwhelming quantity of art. These days, most of her pieces are commissioned by clients. Although, she always remembers to paint for her own pleasure during her free time. An artist such as a she needs to express themselves, sometimes just for the sake it. Mylene gets a lot of work done because she never allows herself to fret over “perfection”. “In painting, there’s nothing perfect. If it’s perfect, then it’s not art,” she says with a ferocious zest. “I don’t like keeping things perfect. If I’m a perfectionist about something, it’s deadlines. I’m OC about the schedule!” Still, she admits that she occasionally has her own artistic mind blocks—days when she simply cannot pick up the brush. However, she always makes it a point to tell her client’s the truth, hoping they’d give her leeway. More often than not, they do.

While her name continues to rise up collector’s lists of must-have artists, Mylene admits that she never took up art to be famous. In fact, earlier in her career, she was advised to choose her clients wisely. Quito says that she never understood that logic, because art should be for everybody. “My purpose in life is to just live, paint, and sell it to whoever would want it,” she shared. “Some senior artists told me to only sell my work to people with “faces” (she’s referring to the celebrity and the social set). But I prefer to give to anybody who’s interested. If my purpose is to be famous, then they’d be right. But we’re all different. I don’t take fame seriously. I just want to relax, paint, and never be eaten by ‘the system’”.

The rest of our afternoon conversation jumped from topic to topic. Listening to Mylene speak about subjects she is passionate about reminded me of the Lost Generation of artists and writers living in Paris during the 1920s. Quito talks fervently about her dreams to open up a hybrid gallery/library for children with disabilities, her disenchantment with the snobby set of older, more established artists, and her opinions regarding sexism in her industry. Her rebellious and zealous nature would make Gertrude Stein, Picasso, and Hemmingway nod with approval. “I wish people would start focusing more on the art, rather than the artist,” she muses, when asked about the politics she has experienced in the judgmental world of high art. While she ran on with her reflections, I was very impressed by her active mind and compassion for others. When I started to write about Mylene later that evening, I wanted to find a way to describe her through words. It was difficult. How could I pin this character down? Mylene is very honest, but careful with her words. Mylene is passionate, but accessible. She is overwhelmingly smart, but never condescending. She has an understanding of people, but is a natural introvert. She is complicated. She is an artist. Heck, let’s just call her abstract.

Portraits and Patterns of Unconditional Love – Mylene Quito’s 1st Solo Exhibit

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Read other articles about Mylene Quito: Painting Motherhood – The Art of Mylene Quito and Passion, Purpose, and Paintings – How Pampagueno Artist, Mylene Quito, is Conquering International Art Exhibits and more here at alike.