Artist now constructs impossible landscapes, mysterious characters and fantastical worlds on canvas.
There is an unmistakable sense of wonder in Averil Paras’ paintings.
His canvases are lush, theatrical and dreamlike—populated by strong female figures, unexpected objects, elaborate patterns and imagery that feels suspended somewhere between fantasy, memory and Filipino folklore. Beauty is everywhere, but so is strangeness. Look longer and seemingly decorative details begin to suggest stories of identity, aspiration, faith and everyday life.
It is this distinctive visual language that has made Paras one of the exciting voices in contemporary Philippine art today. His works have moved through galleries, art fairs and auctions, while his exhibition history has extended beyond the Philippines to places such as Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea and Spain.
Yet behind these fantastical worlds is a story considerably less glamorous.
Before the galleries, exhibitions and collectors, Paras was a 16-year-old construction worker in Manila trying to earn enough money to go to art school.
Before the canvas, the construction site
Born in 1987 and raised in Sta. Cruz, Marinduque, Paras was the youngest of seven children. His father took on different jobs—from miner to house and automobile painter—before illness eventually led him to farming. His mother was a homemaker.
After high school, his parents simply did not have enough money to immediately send him to college.
Paras left the province for Manila and stayed with his eldest sibling. He initially tried applying for work at a mall, but at only 16, he was too young to be hired.
Then an opportunity appeared through another brother, who was working as a draftsman in construction.
Paras became a construction worker.
“Noong nasa construction ako akala ko madali lang, akala ko simple lang,” Paras told radar in an exclusive interview.
He thought he would work, save some money and eventually enroll in college. Some people even warned him that once he experienced earning his own money, he might forget about studying altogether.
The opposite happened.
“Hanga ako sa mga construction workers na kasama ko,” he said. “Marami akong natutunan sa kanila, hindi lang sa trabaho kundi higit sa lahat sa buhay.”
The experience convinced him that he wanted something different: he wanted to finish Fine Arts.
After about a year, with his savings and help from his family, Paras finally entered college. He eventually graduated from FEATI University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts major in Advertising in 2011.
Curiously, the construction site never completely left his art.
“Para sa akin ang pagbuo ng building o ng isang structure ay parang pagpipinta,” Paras said. “Nag-uumpisa ang lahat sa imahinasyon at pagpaplano, tapos papasok ang process at discipline hanggang sa mabuo.”
Everything starts with ‘what if?’
That imagination would eventually become the foundation of Paras’ artistic identity.
His surreal worlds emerge from an eclectic collection of influences: local and foreign novels, movies, history, the Bible, literature, personal experiences, dreams and his observations about life.
But almost every painting begins with curiosity.
“What if?”
“Mga tanong na paano kung ganito? Paano kapag ganyan?” he explained. From those questions comes a concept, followed by visualization, until a story gradually takes shape on canvas.
Paras also looks to masters such as Picasso, Salvador Dalí, Paul Gauguin, Peter Paul Rubens, Vicente Manansala and Carlos “Botong” Francisco.
But however international his influences may be, Paras deliberately keeps his paintings recognizably Filipino.
“Sinasadya ko talaga ’yun,” he said. “Para just in case makarating sa international yung mga gawa ko, alam agad nila na Filipino yung gumawa.”
“Kahit naman may mga negatibong kaganapan sa Pilipinas ay marami pa rin naman tayong dapat ipagmalaki bilang Pilipino.”
The Filipina as light
Among the most striking recurring figures in Paras’ paintings are women.
For the artist, the Filipina is more than an aesthetically beautiful subject. She represents strength, presence and the essential role of women from the household to society.
Swipe or click arrows to see photos
“Sila ay parang mga lampara na nagbibigay ng liwanag na tumatanglaw sa kalaliman ng dilim,” he said.
His paintings, Paras explained, become a form of tribute to them.
From dreaming of art school to living from art
The real turning point came during his third year in college when Paras encountered painting as a subject.
“Mula noon naramdaman ko na para sa akin ’yun at ’yun ang gusto kong maging career,” he recalled.
Galerie Joaquin would eventually give him what he considers an important break. What followed was a steadily expanding career.
His solo exhibitions include “Coalescence” in 2017, “Midsummer Night” in 2019, “Mes Reves” in 2021, “Phantasmagoria” in 2022, “Poeisis” in 2023 and “Ballade Eternelle” in 2024.
His works have also appeared in numerous group exhibitions, fairs and auctions. In 2025, he placed second in the professional category of the Tops Art Fest Cebu Plein-Air Painting Competition.
Yet Paras remains reluctant to speak of his career as though he has already arrived.
“Actually hindi ko iniisip na may na-achieve na ako,” he said. “Para sa akin part lang ’yun lahat ng art journey ko.”
His definition of success is simpler.
“Yung idea na nabubuhay ako at ang pamilya ko dahil sa art ko, tapos nagiging inspirasyon sa iba yung mga artworks ko, para sa akin achievement na ’yun.”
The impossible dream continues
Paras still wants his paintings to travel farther. He dreams of a greater international presence and artist residencies in different countries where he can encounter new cultures and deepen his practice.
There is an interesting symmetry to his life.
At 16, Paras helped construct buildings because he could not yet afford to study art. Today, he makes a living constructing entirely different things: impossible landscapes, mysterious characters and fantastical worlds on canvas.
And despite how far that teenage construction worker has traveled, Paras knows how precarious an artistic life can remain.
“Madaling gumawa ng artworks,” he said, “pero mahirap mabuhay bilang artist.”
Perhaps that is why his story feels so much like one of his paintings: something that began with an unlikely “what if?” and slowly became real.
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