Wellness in Arts: BusinessWorld Online Edition |The next big star

BusinessWorld Online Edition |The next big star: "The first portfolio review held at Silverlens in 2009 attracted the likes of Tatong Recheta Torres, Leeroy New (who was told to clean up the technical side of his work), Cos Zicarelli, and Mark Salvatus (who was told to stick to his community approach to art, which he did to great success). “You’ll be surprised at how open they were to feedback,” said Ms. Lorenzo, who organized the sessions because she wanted to meet artists away from the school setting and the drunken-gallery-opening setting.

“The idea of making art is so disconnected from what the real life of an artist is,” she continued. “The art world out of school is different. There is no structure, no input from your peers, and you often have to learn on your own.”

In that sense, the Silverlens portfolio review cum critique fills a vacuum. “I take my hat off to Isa for putting this together. It’s a great preparatory procedure for young artists,” said Ms. Ooi, who was also a “judge” in the first edition. “Frankly, particularly in this day and age, I feel it is much needed as the whole business of being an artist is far trickier and precarious if you don’t know what you are getting yourself into.”"