Born in Butuan City, Jesamine V. Totañes a.k.a. JV Totañes originally made her way to Holland as an au pair in her 20s after working a few years out of college with her BA in Psychology. While she had a lucrative career in the Philippines, she was very dissatisfied with the little time her arduous career afforded her to paint. During her time as an au pair, Jesamine was able to travel extensively throughout Europe, visiting cities like Amsterdam, Paris, Antwerp, Bruges, Ghent, Cannes, Monaco, the Alps in France, Copenhagen, Hamburg, and Saint Tropez. It was during her travels that her passion and determination to become an artist arose.
Now living in Holland for almost two decades, Jesamine lives in Assen and has been painting professionally. She paints diverse subjects, but portraits are her favourite. Her other subjects include wildlife, cityscapes, and abstracts. She works with oil, graphite, charcoal, watercolor and acrylic. Recently, she has started to paint various subjects about the Philippines, which brings up fond memories of her home and childhood, as if her art were a time machine transporting her back to her Motherland’s faces, food, and landscapes.
After joining local exhibits and selling her works internationally, Jesamine started her own company, JV Totañes Portraits and Art. Services include painting commissions and exhibits, selling art, and conducting art workshops and DIY tutorials. Through art, she believes she can help those who are less fortunate achieve their dreams as well as reach out to her fellow Filipinos who have been victims of typhoon or other violence.
Since then, Jesamine has received many accolades and has had several solo and group shows throughout Holland.
You can read more about Jesamine and her art at www.jvtotanes.com and totanesjesamine.wixsite.com.
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Art Pairing
Slicing Tomatoes 