An Artist Reunites with Her Muse
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Delia Laglagaron
Delia had done a presentation to the Urban Land Institute in her capacity as Deputy Commissioner, Deputy Chief Administrative Officer and General Manager, Planning, Policy and Environment for Metro Vancouver in British Columbia, Canada. Google also yields an article in Canadian Filipino Net, recognizing Delia as one of the 10 Outstanding Filipinos in Canada for 2021.
“Nocturne Elegance”
“Tropical Allure”
“Tranquility”
“Spring Blooms”
“Colors of Spring”
When Delia stood in front of friends, family, and invited guests at the Philippine Consulate on the 6th floor of 999 Canada Place in Vancouver on Friday, April 26, 2024, however, she was simply, artist.
For 30 years Delia spoke the vocabulary of a bureaucrat. She was, after all, number two in command of Metro Vancouver, a federation of 21 Canadian municipalities -- including the City of Vancouver, one electoral area, and one treaty First Nation, with a population of over 2.5 million.
As Deputy Commissioner Delia led some 1,500 employees and oversaw programs related to utilities, parks, affordable housing, climate change, as well as infrastructure, land use, and service delivery, with an operating budget of $615 million and $357 million in capital.
If Miriam Defensor Santiago ate death threats for breakfast, Delia had a daily diet of plans, policies, and reports, peppered with words like “collaboration,” “innovation, “ “sustainability,” “viability,” and “livability.” A year pursuing a master’s degree at the John F. Kennedy School of Government of Harvard University only served to bolster her already formidable credentials.
But then came retirement in 2015, and without the pressure of meetings and deadlines Delia awakened to a small voice that had been with her since childhood but that had been drowned out by the challenges of moving countries, the demands of high-power work, and raising a family. It was the delighted voice of her high school self on being praised for her art by a teacher who happened to be a nun. Canvases and pastels quickly took the place of spreadsheets, whiteboards, and markers; and the same energy that earned her superlative performance reviews in government went into painting instead. Delia Laglagaron was reunited with her muse.
The fruits of that reconnection were on display at her show at the Consulate, titled Floral Abstractions. The show reveals a consciousness populated not just by the landscapes of the Pacific Northwest, where Delia currently lives, but also scenes from warmer climes. A lotus flower, red and white, stands starkly atop mysterious green leaves, refusing to be ignored. Yellow stamens spring, as if newly released, from the deep orange petals of two hibiscuses that dominate the room. Purple and white orchids on a light purple background evoke tropical evenings, while a canvas of blue, yellow, and purple blooms brings back a startled delight at the first day of a northern spring. Another canvas is an almost liquid rendering of stargazer lilies, purple and white, on a yellow and brown background. Sunflowers jostle for space with purple hydrangeas, excited to be seen.
Consul Arlene Magno and artist Delia Laglagaron cut the ribbon at "Floral Abstractions," Delia's art exhibit at the Philippine Consulate in Vancouver, Canada, running until the end of June 2024.
Delia’s journey has not been without rough bumps. She had a master’s degree in urban planning from the University of the Philippines (UP) when she and her husband, Ron, a graduate of the UP School of Architecture, arrived in Canada in 1976. She had received her BS in Architecture from the University of Santo Tomas, placing 9th in the Philippine Licensure Examination for architects. These did not mean very much in Canada, where she did entry-level work as a draftsperson for the Greater Vancouver Regional District and augmented her income by starting a small bakery, using some of her mother’s recipes. Her family grew with the arrival of daughter Laureen, who is now a civil rights lawyer with the Department of Justice in Washington, DC.
Thirty years of grueling administrative work could have extinguished the spirit that was nourished by the vistas of her island home in Bohol, and the gardens her parents grew. But Delia notes: “The human spirit can remember and reinvent.” It turns out the shapes, lines, and colors that had delighted her in childhood had not left her and were simply waiting for new expression.
For 30 years Delia spoke the vocabulary of a bureaucrat. She was, after all, number two in command of Metro Vancouver, a federation of 21 Canadian municipalities.
Delia presents herself as a cautionary tale for immigrants in Canada and elsewhere. She notes how immigrants work so hard to build new lives in a new country, as she did, but often at the sacrifice of the inner life, and what she calls “life’s passions.” She is fortunate to have rediscovered the spark of artistic expression, and reignited it, and advises others to do the same. She wishes others the “unparalleled joy” that artistic expression brings - be it painting, music, or writing. Like the poet George Herbert who wrote, “And now in age I bud again/ After so many deaths I live and write/I once more smell the dew and rain/And relish versing,” Delia Laglagaron’s inner landscapes bloom again, and we are the better for it.
More of Delia’s work may be seen at https://www.deliasart2024.com/.
Meyen Quigley is a writer based in Victoria, British Columbia. Originally from Iloilo, she lived and worked in Sudan, Pakistan, Turkey, and New York before settling down in Canada with her husband Kevin and children Gabriel and Megan.
