Ayala Mall, Cebu Art Exhibit by Clarissa

CLARISSA art exhibit at Ayala Mall, Cebu

Clarissa, a painting exhibit set in Ayala

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Tuesday, July 15, 2014

FROM July 18 to 25 at The Gallery of the Ayala Center Cebu, catch “Clarissa,” a self-titled painting exhibit that shares the thoughts and feelings of young artist Clarissa Tiongson Ortiz.

Clarissa is a young adult with Down Syndrome who is hearing-and speech-impaired, physically disabled and bipolar. She is the daugher of Malu Tiongson-Ortiz, author of “Embracing God’s Purpose for my Special Child.” Her mother, a fine arts graduate majoring in interior design, home-schooled her from the age of 18.

“When I began to home-school her six years ago, I repeatedly taught her at home what she had been taught in school and in her speech therapy class. I continued to pray for my daughter’s ability to speak. She hasn’t spoken except to say ‘Papa,’ but that one word gives me every reason to persevere and trust that God will not fail me. I thank the Lord for giving me the ability to draw and paint. I am able to teach my daughter through the talent that God has given me. For her to understand what I am teaching, I have to draw everything. I had no other way to teach her except through pictures and signs and have been delighted to discover Clarissa’s artistic ability.

She is truly gifted!” shares Mommy Malu.

At the age of 15, Clarissa started copying her mother’s drawings of men and women, and drew herself stylized portraits of family members and friends, prompting others to say that her portraits are reminiscent of those somewhat exaggerated portraits by Picasso.

She uses vibrant colors and chooses amazing color combinations in her oil pastel and acrylic paintings.

Parenting talk

Clarissa and Mommy Malu make collaborative paintings. Clarissa cannot finish a painting without Mommy Malu’s help, and Mommy Malu cannot start a painting without Clarissa’s help.

“God is good. He gave Clarissa eyes to see colors and hands to paint,” said Mommy Malu, who will also hold a special parenting talk and book signing on July 25, Friday, from 1-3 p.m. at The Gallery.

In line with the celebration of PWD (person with disability) Awareness Month, Ayala Center Cebu, in partnership with the Cebu Provincial Government, Gualandi Volunteer Service Programme Inc., and the Down Syndrome Association of the Philippines Inc., has lined up a series of activities, talks, exhibits and events to celebrate diversity by promoting dignity, respect and inclusiveness for the PWDs community.

With the theme, “Breaking Barriers; Opening Doors,” the month-long festivity aims to empower the PWD sector through a series of events and activities.

For inquiries, one may contact (032) 232-0380. For the latest updates, like them on Facebook atwww.facebook.com/AyalaCebu or follow them on Twitter and Instagram @AyalaCenterCebu.

Connect-Bridgeport.com Article by Julie Perine

Philippines Exchange Student Malu Tiongson-Ortiz; 35 Years Later

By Julie Perine on January 27, 2014 via Connect-Bridgeport.com

Those who attended Bridgeport High School in the late 1970s may remember Malu Tiongson, an exchange student from the Philippines who shared her senior year with the class of ’78.

 

Pretty, personable and involved, she won the hearts of her peers, who elected her to the senior homecoming court.

 

Thirty-five years later, Maul Tiongson-Ortiz is still a queen of hearts.  In her home of Pasig City in the Philippines, she is an artist, Christian writer and mother of three. It was her youngest child and only daughter, Clarissa, who changed her life and shed a brand new light on her talents. 

“I understood now God's purpose for giving me a child with special needs,” she said. “He gave me Clarissa to make me the person He wants me to be - to mold me, to draw me closer to Him, and to teach me to rely on Him for strength, and not on myself.”

 

When Clarissa, now 26, was 18 years old, Ortiz gave her career a backseat and committed all her time to mothering and teaching her daughter, who had been born with Down syndrome and bipolar disorder.

 

As Clarissa came into adulthood, it was discovered that she was also hearing impaired. Despite those setbacks, it turned out that Clarissa had a gift for art.

 

It was exciting to discover that the mother and daughter, who were spending their time together - and depending heavily upon sign language to communicate - shared a passion which they could pursue together.

 

“Art is gift from God,” Ortiz said. “There are no hard and fast rules in appreciating art, but God gave us a special gift because it is through art that we can communicate with each other and display (His) amazing work through our lives.”

 

The women had been blessed with the same gift, but with different abilities to display it.

 

“God gave (Clarissa) eyes to see colors and hands to paint incredibly beautiful artworks,” Ortiz said. “(He) gave me the gift to collaborate with her and interpret and finish her paintings.”

 

Through Clarissa, Ortiz said she has learned to put priorities in order and become the mom she never thought she could be. The journaling of their shared experiences has led to the book, "Embracing God's Purpose for My Special Child," penned by Ortiz and available hereat Amazon. 

 

Her hands-on approach to mothering ultimately led Ortiz to vice-presidency of the Down Syndrome Association of the Philippines.

 

“I am part of fundraising committee and help conduct early intervention seminars for new parents of children with Down syndrome,” said Ortiz, who also volunteers for counseling duties.

 

It is all by God’s grace, she said. God created Clarissa for a very special purpose.

 

“While I teach her the A-B-Cs and 1-2-3s, she teaches me the more important things in life such as unconditional love, patience, perseverance, contentment, simplicity etc.”

 

As 2014 begins to unfold, Ortiz continues to seek out ways she can use her gifts to glorify God and enable others see their own God-given talents. She hopes her soon-to-be-released book, “Ikaw na Ang Maganda: How to Be Beautiful Inside Out" does just that. In the book – which is bilingual (Tagalog and English) – Ortiz, also a makeup artist, shares not only how to apply cosmetics, but also kindness, gentleness, patience, goodness and other fruits of the spirit.

 

“(In 2014), I also want to grow in my spiritual walk, to love God with all my heart, soul, mind and strength,” she said. 

 

Read her "Clarissic Expressions" blog posts  HERE, where Clarissa's art gallery can also be viewed. 

 

After attending Bridgeport High School, Ortiz graduated from the University of Santo Tomas in Manila. 

 
© 2014 Connect-Bridgeport.com

Stewards, Not Owners

STEWARDS, NOT OWNERS

The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.”  Psalm 24:1

When a child is conceived, the parents are filled with boundless joy.  For a child is one of God’s greatest gift to married couples.  But how should a parent react when their child is born with Down syndrome?  Or how should parents feel when God takes away their child to be with Him in heaven?

Last year, I met a 10 year old girl named Sandy.  She came over to our house regularly for art lessons with my sister Lysa.  There were occasions that I would assist my sister in teaching her students and one of them is Sandy.  Sandy is a slim and tall young girl with eyeglasses who loves salt and vinegar potato chips and Starbucks frappuccino.   Her father, Atty. Clint Aranas, whom I met through my husband Claro, enrolled in Lysa’s art class just so he could spend time bonding with Sandy.  Clint loved his daughter so much and was over protective of her.  He once told me that he would not even allow Sandy to kiss uncles.  Whenever he and his wife Peaches would travel, they would take her along with her brothers even on business trips.

Remembering Sandy Aranas

I am so sad and teary eyed as I write this blog.  Sandy was afflicted with Dengue and after battling for her life for a week in the hospital, she is now with the Lord.  In her wake, I was so amazed to see God’s grace in her parents, Clint and Peaches.  By just listening to their story about how Sandy went through so much while in the ICU, having cardiac arrest nine times and three flat lines, I couldn’t help but cry.  Though I have only spent a few months with Sandy, I would always cherish the times that she would come to me and ask for help or advice on how to enhance her paintings.  Sandy is one of Lysa’s favorite student.  She and Lysa would often hug before they would part.

It was such a blessing to hear Peaches testimony.  She narrated how God gave her a confirmation that Sandy would go home.  Suddenly she had peace and truly believed that Sandy was going to live.  But after a few hours, Jesus came to fetch her little girl to be home with Him.  What God meant was, she was going home to heaven.

As I listened to Sandy’s mom, I was once again reminded that our children are not ours but God’s.  I admit that I couldn’t help but worry about my daughter Clarissa, now a young adult with Down syndrome.  Knowing for a fact that children with Down syndrome live shorter lives than average, it is my husband’s and my greatest fear that we will lose Clarissa one day.

Our children are in this world temporarily and it is God’s option when He will take what He had loaned to us.  Psalm 24:1 tell us that our children are not ours, but the Lord’s.  He created them for a reason and He has entrusted them to us, the parents, not to own them or control them, but to be their stewards.

Our little princess Clarissa

Clint and Peaches are stewards of Sandy and Claro and I are stewards of Clarissa.  In God’s time, we will also have to usher our daughter to be with His Maker.  But for now, I try to embrace every moment that I spend with Clarissa, taking it day by day and making the most of my time with her.  Everyday, I get down on my knees and pray for good health for her.  Every time she wakes up in the morning is a blessing and I am grateful to God for giving her the gift of life.

Lord, thank you for making me see death and disability from your perspective.  Teach me to be the Mom that you want me to be for my daughter Clarissa whom you’ve chosen to be born with Down syndrome.  Help me to always prioritize my children over ministry work.  Take away my fear of losing her and always remind me that she is not mine.  I want to raise her according to your will so she may live a life that is pleasing to you.  Teach me to love her unconditionally the way you do.  Thank you for choosing me to be her Mom.  In Jesus name I pray, amen!

MALU TIONGSON-ORTIZ

February 13, 2013

“MAY IT BE TO ME AS YOU HAVE SAID.”

How do parents feel when they are told that their child has some kind of “defect”?  When God assigns us the special task of parenting a child with Down syndrome, autism, cerebral palsy or ADHD, our natural reaction is to feel disappointment, distress, and sadness.  There is worry, anxiety, and apprehension about the future, anticipating the need for special care, and much unconditional love, patience and perseverance.

I was at the Christmas Party of the Down Syndrome Association of the Philippines last Sunday, December 9, 2012, at the San Lorenzo Village Park, and met a new mother of a child with Down syndrome.  Bella (not her real name) gave birth to her son two months ago and I had the privilege then of visiting her at Cardinal Hospital.  When I was informed about her child, I had sensed a burden for her, that I should see her,  to comfort her and help her understand that God has a special purpose for her child’s life.  But no matter how I tried to encourage her, sadness and fear were written all over her face.

The Bible tells us that God sent the angel Gabriel to Mary, a virgin pledged to be married to Joseph. Mary was young, and poor, and seemed unlikely to be chosen by God to carry out an important task.  A young woman was to bear the Messiah who was to come and save us from our sins. Through the Holy Spirit, Mary would be pregnant and would likely face shame and even threats of danger. Mary courageously accepted the task in spite of the great risks, and answered, “May it be to me as you have said,” Luke 1:38.

Re-reading the story of the birth of Jesus Christ and meditating on these verses in Luke’s Gospel made me ponder on these questions, “Did I willingly accept this special task that God was entrusting to me when He gave me a child with Down syndrome? Did I instantly obey Him -- or did I “make tampo” (hold a grudge) with God? Am I ashamed of my child’s condition?”  Like Mary, some of us as parents are also asked by God to raise children with special needs born for a specific purpose. Obviously, our special needs children were not created to save us from our sins; nevertheless, God gives these children to us to accomplish His purposes. He gives them as instruments to shape and mold our lives.  Through them we learn to seek God and pray to Him.  We become better people, and are given the opportunity to glorify God through our lives and the lives of our children with special needs. 

My daughter Clarissa, born with Down syndrome, hearing- and speech-impaired, physically handicapped and bipolar, is one of God’s greatest gifts to me. Through her I am drawn closer to God and through her I learned to surrender all my fears to Him.  God works through my daughter to strengthen my faith and mold my character, teaching me to rely on Him on a daily basis.  Clarissa is not an accident.  God chose Mary to be the mother of the Messiah who would save the world, and this same God chose me to be the mother of a child who has a special purpose in our lives. 

Clarissa has also been God’s instrument to comfort me most especially on important occasions such as Christmas.  Being separated from my husband for six years has truly been difficult, spending Christmas Eve’s alone in my room crying to God, asking Him to keep me company.  It is during these moments that I would experience God’s presence in a more intimate way.  On Christmas day, I look forward to seeing my children and grandchildren who come over to celebrate with me.  While my two older sons, Carlo Miguel and Claro Paulo are now both parents, I still have Clarissa to take care of for the rest of her life.  Clarissa is practically all I have left.  She is my best friend, my prayer partner, and we do a lot of activities together.  It is not always easy to take care of her specially when she throws a tantrum. But God blesses me with a special kind of joy when I’m with her and that encourages me to keep going. 

Mary’s response to the angel Gabriel is an inspiration for us as parents to trust God, for He knows that we are the best parents for our child with special needs.  And if God were to turn back time and gave me a choice: would I be the parent of a special needs child or not, I would still choose my daughter Clarissa.   This time I will tell the Lord, “May it be done to me as you have said.”

MALU TIONGSON-ORTIZ

Author of “Embracing God’s Purpose for My Special Child”

CLARISSA AND APOSTLE PAUL

"Sailing" Painted by Clarissa, enhanced by Mommy Malu.

Apostle Paul said, "To keep me becoming conceited because of these surpassing great revelations, there was given me a thorn in the flesh... to torment me.  Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me.  But He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.'"  2 Corinthians 12:7-9

Many people have asked me why Clarissa doesn't go to school anymore.  "What about her social life?" they ask.  How I wish she could do both, go to school and be home schooled at the same time.  I must admit that I envy other children with special needs who are able to talk, run, read books and even have jobs.  There were times I, like Apostle Paul, questioned God why He had given Clarissa a "thorn in the flesh." Apart from having Down syndrome, Clarissa's hearing impairment has hampered her learning abilities.  Because she is also bipolar, her mood swings have been so erratic for years now.

The artist while recovering from chicken pox.

In spite of her disability, I thank the Lord for giving Clarissa the gift of art.  Through her disability and weakness, we experience God's power being displayed.  Through her limitations, we learn to turn to God to seek pathways for effectiveness.  Clarissa's weakness not only helps us develop our character, it also deepens our faith and walk with the Lord, because in admitting her limitations, we affirm God's grace.  The Lord granted her a way to communicate not through words but through painting.  Her paintings speaks to us, touches our hearts and teaches us to be grateful.  

"I see a boat!"

This is one of the 18 paintings that Clarissa made while confined at home for two weeks because of chicken pox.  Initially, I was so confused trying to figure out what the painting is about.  But as I stared for a long time, I began to see a figure of a boat.  In fact, I think it looked like the boats we see sailing in the river in Hong Kong.  Quickly, I googled a picture of the boat and yes, it does look like it!

It's amazing how God make our minds and hands work together and be able to communicate with each other.  He is truly amazing!  To God be all the glory and praise!  

CLARISSA AND JESUS

My daughter Clarissa's new series of abstract paintings is a reminder to us about the death of our Lord Jesus Christ.  When she began painting them last month while confined at home due to chicken pox, I noticed that she did not paint one cross but three crosses representing Jesus in the center and the two criminals beside Him.

One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at Him:  "Aren't you the Christ?  Save yourself and us?"  But the other criminal rebuked him.  "Don't you fear God," he said, "since you are under the same sentence?"  We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve.  But this man has done nothing wrong."

Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom."  Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise."  Luke 23:39-43

As we read these verses, we learn that we have a choice to believe and accept Jesus Christ or be like the other criminal who insulted Him.  These two criminals were about to die but one of them turned to Christ for forgiveness and Christ accepted Him.   This proves that good works does not save us.  It is our faith in Jesus that enables us to be saved.   We can trust that God is merciful and will forgive us  if we make the choice to receive Him as our Lord and Savior.

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life."  John 3:16

Make that choice today and receive the free gift of eternal life by saying this simple prayer from your heart:

Dear Jesus,

Thank you for loving me.  I confess that I am a sinner.  Thank you for dying on the cross to pay for all my sins.  Please come into my heart, forgive my sins and be my Lord and Savior.   I accept your free gift of eternal life.  With your help I will turn away from all my sins.  Thank you for forgiving me and for giving me eternal life.  By your power, I will live my life to please you.  I love you.  Amen.

If you just trusted in Jesus Christ, you now have the assurance of eternal life.

WOMAN AND A YOUNG GIRL

Clarissa caught a virus and is feeling sick

Recently, I blogged about my daughter Clarissa's latest paintings entitled "Abstract Attack."  Little did I know that she had a virus called "chicken pox."  Looking back and reviewing her photos, she started having red spots while doing her first abstract painting.  But this didn't bother her at all.  She continued to paint, enjoying the freedom to do whatever she wanted to do with her brush.  By the time she was done with her fifth painting, her chicken pox marks were full blown.  No wonder she laid on the floor, feeling weak but still stroking the brush.

Clarissa painting on the floor under yellow light

Days after, she starts a tantrum, cried and wailed due to boredom.  After all, who wouldn't be when you're confined inside the bedroom for five consecutive days?  I gave her the liberty to paint once again with a tray of acrylic paint by her side.  As I watched and observed her paint on the floor under the yellow light, I began to play with my imagination.  I saw an image of a woman in white long skirt and orange blouse entering a door.  From another angle, I see a woman facing a young girl with a door behind them.  Whatever it is, I thank God for giving me the eyes to see Clarissa's art works from different dimensions.

When I emphasized the image of the woman, this is how it looked...

Unfinished art work of Clarissa

Many people have asked me how my daughter is able to make beautiful modern portraits and now abstract paintings.  "Only by God's grace!"  I believe that the Lord created my daughter Clarissa to be born with a special gift in art despite her disability because He wants His name to be glorified through her.  I never intended to post my daughter's art works to boast about her "abilities" but to share how God is able to use her "disabilities."

Jesus' disciples asked Him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" 
"Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life."
JOHN 9:2-3