Depicted wearing traditional salakot hats, the fishermen represent unity, collective labor, and community (bayanihan). Their faceless, stylized forms elevate them from specific individuals into universal symbols of working-class resilience and the seafaring spirit. A signature technique of the artist, the piece is painted directly onto a genuine, vintage British Admiralty nautical chart. The underlying depth soundings, grid lines, and geographic markers symbolize the vastness of the sea, navigation, and the structured reality of maritime life overlaid with human narrative.
“I am a seafarer by profession who loves art, which has now become one of my greatest passions. I started my secondary career as an artist during the pandemic, when the isolation of quarantine allowed my inner talents to emerge. Since then, my journey has been featured in The Manila Times in an article titled "A seafarer who found love in art," as well as in the Germany-based Homeport magazine, where my story was shared and my artwork was featured on the cover.”