AH, THE COLORS OF SUMMER! From the white, hot sands in front of Discovery Shores Boracay and the explosive, colorful hues on the paintings of Louie Ignacio, to the cool, green grass on the lawn of Amorita in Bohol, and the vibrant, elegant pastels on the canvases of Marivic Rufino, summer is all about color.

Multifaceted Marivic Rufino has been expressing her passion through painting for almost two decades and has had several exhibits at The Peninsula Manila. Her art is her emotion unleashed.

Her recent exhibit was ?Romanza? Dreamscapes, jointly launched with a poetry book she illustrated, by National Artist for Literature Virgilio Almario. Guests of honor included National Artist for Sculpture Napoleon V. Abueva, National Artist for Visual Arts Arturo Luz, Supreme Court Justice Consuelo Ynares Santiago, Mayor Alfredo Lim, and historian Carmen Guerrero Nakpil.

A diptych of moving colors symbolizes new life and her love of flowing water. Beyond the canvas, Marivic also produced three-dimensional pieces like furniture and bags, as well as T-shirts and totes, all with Mav?s signature strokes.

Another artist whose palette explodes with colors and emotions is Louie Ignacio. Usually found behind one of GMA Network?s cameras, direk Louie recently staged his First One-Man Exhibit in Artasia Gallery at SM Megamall. His pulsing canvases are outpourings of his own feelings that come when he dreams and his imagination flies. We must dream alike because the rich colors of his landscapes, foliage and sunsets are so bright and happy.

I met Louie during my stint on ?Celebrity Duets,? where I was amazed at his ability to find my better angles and mask my croaky singing. So I was happy to be the host at his painting debut. Guests included our GMA boss, Wilma Galvante, his extensive GMA family and Elvira Yap Go.

Photographs, just like canvases, are such an artistic means of capturing the beauty of the world. Renowned photographer Alex Van Hagen recently showcased his stunning images of the La Mesa Watershed. Several of the photos were part of the exhibit ?Van Hagen & Van Hagen: Brothers in Art Part 2? at The Peninsula Manila Hotel. The exhibit featured not only Alex?s striking photographs but also the exquisite copper etchings by his brother, Han.

Alex?s stunning images of the flora and fauna of La Mesa were captured using two phones, Nokia?s five-megapixel, Carl Zeiss optics-supplied N96 and N85. This alone is a feat surely worth more than the thousand words a picture is proverbially worth.

Nokia?s Takeback Campaign

As the world?s leading mobile phone supplier, Nokia understands it is important to lead the way in environmental sustainability and demonstrate best practices. Nokia?s Takeback Campaign focuses on the recovery of old mobile phones, batteries and accessories.

For every kilo of old phone materials collected of any brand of phone, Nokia will make a donation to Bantay Kalikasan for the continued rehabilitation of La Mesa Watershed. Nokia?s admirable efforts to preserve the environment haven?t gone unnoticed. At the recent 2009 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Nokia won the GSM Association?s first award for Outstanding Environmental Contribution.

The Congress also highlighted Nokia?s commitment to the environment, as the company has introduced various ?green? elements in their devices, like reducing charger energy consumption, adding alerts to remind people to unplug their chargers once the battery is full, making Nokia devices recyclable, and phasing out PVC and other nonrecyclables. And best of all, Nokias are available in all the colors of summer!

3rd issue of Flow 03

Speaking of vibrant summer colors, check out Flow 03, the third issue of the quarterly magazine featuring the works of contemporary artists and designers. Curated by lifestyle and design gurus Ricky Toledo and Chito Vijandre, the same duo behind home and design concept stores Firma, Felicity and AC+632, the latest issue is indeed another feather in their already well-festooned hats.

Ricky and Chito take Flow readers on a journey to the past. The third issue brings to life the vanishing art of paper cutwork, showcases paintings and puppets inspired by local folklore, and introduces never-shown-before antiques to readers. The pair blazes their own literary path, along the lines tread before by previous editors, design maven Miguel Rosales and furniture design leader Kenneth Cobonpue.

A special exhibition and sale of works by the contributors and artists featured in the magazine was recently launched at Silverlens Gallery. Elegant pieces by Bea Valdes, Wynn Wynn Ong, George Sy Gobio and Robert Langenegger; lush artworks and outstanding photographs plus a magnificent collaboration between Juan Caguicla and Ronald Ventura were showcased to a most stylish cosmopolitan crowd.

Flow 03 is published by October Eighty Publications and the launch was supported by Absolut Vodka, Restaurante Pia Y Damaso, B&B Italia, Hotel Celeste, Jewelmer, Vagary and Alternatives Food Corp.

With summer in full swing, it?s time to shop for the right colors to wear at all the great beach resorts we wish we could be visiting. The Big Outlet Sale 2009 is on today at the Megatent, 30 Meralco Ave., Ortigas Center, Pasig City.

Building on its success last year, the Big Outlet Sale has gathered even more brands and colors to shop for, including name brands like Anne Klein, Ben Sherman, SEE By Chloe, Alexander McQueen, Natori, Puma, Guerlain, Oakley, Bose, Reef, JB Music & Sports, Giordano, Nike Golf, JBL, Sennheiser, Big & Small, etc., etc. All BPI cardholders get free entrance and additional discounts, plus freebies from selected merchants when paying with BPI Edge.

Ah! The colors of summer indeed! I can hardly wait to stock up and hit the beaches of Bora and Bohol. Happy summer and happy shopping!

E-mail the author at seaprincess@inquirer.com.ph