MANILA, Philippines - "I always tell people, TV is my wife and art is my mistress,? says comedian and visual artist Joey de Leon.

One of the main hosts of the long-running noontime game show ?Eat ... Bulaga!?, Joey says he has been into painting and collecting art pieces for as long as he can remember.

But his first ?serious? plunge into painting was an exhibit in 1985 called ?Lent Goes Rock,? which featured Joey interacting with art masters Ang Kiukok, Malang, Onib Olmedo, among others, in rendering the face of Jesus Christ.

?I don?t sell my artwork. I?ve kept them all these years,? he tells Living Stars. He says he only remembers giving the poster piece from the 1985 exhibit to singer Randy Santiago. ?In that artwork, Jesus is wearing shades,? he explains.

Twenty-four years later, on June 30, Joey mounted another exhibit, this time titled ?Fish and Chips,? at the Crucible in SM Megamall, Mandaluyong City. He teamed up with journalist and fellow artist Igan D? Bayan, whose work carried the theme ?Heavy Metal.?

Joey says his artwork is limited to six objects that he loves?clown, carousel, jukebox, slot machine, balloon and ice cream. ?I like them to be always colorful, funny and happy,? he adds. ?I mix the images sometimes?the clown with the ice cream, for example.?

He says that while others consider painting as an outlet for pent-up emotions, for him it?s a form of relaxation. ?It?s all I do these days. I only stop painting at 6:30 p.m. to watch the news,? he confesses.

Joey?s favorite work area is the lanai room at the De Leon home in Green Meadows, Quezon City. ?When it gets too dark there, I go to the family room or the bedroom. I have three prerequisites: First, there has to be music. Second, I have to wear my work shirt. Lastly, kailangan naka-briefs lang ako.?

Eileen Macapagal, Joey?s wife, says members of their household are already accustomed to seeing the comedian walking in his underwear. They also know that it?s best not to talk to him when he?s painting. ?Pwede naman,? he deadpans, ?pero baka mabwisit ako.?

?We?ve learned that it?s not good to sneak up on him. He gets surprised easily. When we really need to talk to him, we call his name gently, malayo pa lang kami,? Eileen explains.

Joey says the works of the late National Artist for Visual Arts, Ang Kiukok, are his favorites.

?I have a wide collection of his works. I always say in my interviews, ?I have an Ang Kiukok na hindi Ang Kiukok. This confuses people. The piece is something he painted in the 1950s. He wasn?t called Ang Kiukok then. He had a different name,? Joey recalls. ?When he died, I sort of lost my passion in collecting art pieces, although I also have works of other interesting artists.?

E-mail mcruz@inquirer.com.ph