From Drawing for Snacks to Entering the Presidential Palace: Filipino Billboard Painter Strikes Back as Portrait Artist [Interview]
Jun Impas, who grew up in extreme poverty and traded his drawings for snacks, became a renowned portrait artist. He eventually painted official portraits for Philippine Presidents Duterte and Marcos Jr.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 19, 2026 at 18:27
- 🔍 Collected: April 19, 2026 at 18:31 (4 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 19, 2026 at 19:05 (33 min after Collected)
Central News Agency
(CNA Reporter Lin Hsing-chien, Cebu City, 19th) In a public elementary school in the small southern Philippine city of Surigao, a little boy once traded his drawings for snacks from his classmates.
He is one of 10 children. His father was a fisherman and his mother a housewife. In that environment, even pocket money for school was a luxury.
"My family was very poor when I was in elementary school. My father couldn't give me pocket money, so I had to help my classmates draw for their homework in exchange for some loose change or snacks to fill my stomach," Jun Impas recalled.
What sustained him then was not dreams, but survival. Years later, however, the boy who once painted to stave off hunger has twice stood in Malacañang Palace, delivering the official portraits of then-President Rodrigo Duterte and current President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
Like many born into poverty, Impas's initial goal upon entering society was simply to earn a living. He painted large billboards at a local cinema. In the process of repeatedly drawing celebrity faces, he gradually realized he might actually have the ability to become an artist.
However, the real test came after he decided to devote himself entirely to creation.
He was already married by then. To pursue his ideals, he gave up his relatively stable job painting cinema billboards and moved his family to Cebu City, where there were more opportunities. But reality did not meet his expectations; his art exhibitions attracted little interest, and his works went unappreciated.
At his lowest point, he walked alone up a small hill near his home and broke down emotionally.
"I asked God: What plans do you have for me?" What worried him most at the time was his children's future. After calming down, he told himself: "Maybe I'm just not good enough yet." So he went back to studying techniques.
Soon, a turning point arrived. He painted a portrait of his wife, and after exhibiting it, he was finally noticed. The first commission appeared: a client asked him to paint a portrait of three generations of their family. Later, he was invited to paint a portrait of a local cardinal, unveiled on the cardinal's 75th birthday. The name Impas began to be remembered.
The reason Impas's works are moving lies not only in his exquisite realistic techniques but also in his ability to present the "beauty of the ordinary." His impoverished background gave him a profound feeling for everyday life; the market laborers, street figures, and family interactions in his paintings seem ordinary but are full of emotion.
"I want everyone to see that even ordinary people are just as important in society."
This creative philosophy extended to his most representative work. When Malacañang Palace chose him to paint the official portrait for then-President Duterte, he was both surprised and excited, working day and night under a tight deadline just to accurately capture the president's spirit.
On the day he delivered the painting at Malacañang Palace, Duterte's phrase "Very impressive" made him feel highly affirmed.
Afterward, he painted the official portrait for current President Marcos Jr. Marcos Jr. was very approachable, even giving him special permission to enter Malacañang Palace in shorts, which left a deep impression on him. "Marcos Jr. is just like an ordinary person, with no airs at all."
Impas once served as president of the Cebu Artists Inc. (CAI) and the Portrait Artists Society of the Philippines (PASPI). His paintings have won numerous awards domestically and internationally, and he has served as a judge for many painting competitions, yet he still chose to continue learning.
At the age of 44, he returned to school, earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree four years later.
Impas has not yet visited Taiwan, but he is planning to take his family there this year, hoping to gain creative inspiration while traveling, including night markets, temples, street scenes, and various passersby.
He also hopes the Taiwanese public can see the daily life of the Philippines through his paintings, such as the "mano" (hand kissing) gesture of respect from younger to older people, and feel the commonalities of each other's cultures.
When talking about the most important work in his life, Impas didn't mention any award-winning pieces or presidential portraits, but rather his wife's portrait.
"That was the painting that changed my artistic career... If it weren't for that painting, I wouldn't be where I am today."
Impas is widely expected to enter the highest hall of Philippine art and become a "National Artist." Today, he continues to create and has built an art base combining a gallery, studio, and cafe in the mountains of Cebu, occasionally holding workshops and painting competitions to bring art closer to the public.
"I hope that even ordinary people can come to like art. Because of this, I built this space... I will also hold more different activities in the future. Everything I do is hoping that more people can come and participate." (Editor: Chen Cheng-kung) 1150419
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(CNA Reporter Lin Hsing-chien, Cebu City, 19th) In a public elementary school in the small southern Philippine city of Surigao, a little boy once traded his drawings for snacks from his classmates.
He is one of 10 children. His father was a fisherman and his mother a housewife. In that environment, even pocket money for school was a luxury.
"My family was very poor when I was in elementary school. My father couldn't give me pocket money, so I had to help my classmates draw for their homework in exchange for some loose change or snacks to fill my stomach," Jun Impas recalled.
What sustained him then was not dreams, but survival. Years later, however, the boy who once painted to stave off hunger has twice stood in Malacañang Palace, delivering the official portraits of then-President Rodrigo Duterte and current President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
Like many born into poverty, Impas's initial goal upon entering society was simply to earn a living. He painted large billboards at a local cinema. In the process of repeatedly drawing celebrity faces, he gradually realized he might actually have the ability to become an artist.
However, the real test came after he decided to devote himself entirely to creation.
He was already married by then. To pursue his ideals, he gave up his relatively stable job painting cinema billboards and moved his family to Cebu City, where there were more opportunities. But reality did not meet his expectations; his art exhibitions attracted little interest, and his works went unappreciated.
At his lowest point, he walked alone up a small hill near his home and broke down emotionally.
"I asked God: What plans do you have for me?" What worried him most at the time was his children's future. After calming down, he told himself: "Maybe I'm just not good enough yet." So he went back to studying techniques.
Soon, a turning point arrived. He painted a portrait of his wife, and after exhibiting it, he was finally noticed. The first commission appeared: a client asked him to paint a portrait of three generations of their family. Later, he was invited to paint a portrait of a local cardinal, unveiled on the cardinal's 75th birthday. The name Impas began to be remembered.
The reason Impas's works are moving lies not only in his exquisite realistic techniques but also in his ability to present the "beauty of the ordinary." His impoverished background gave him a profound feeling for everyday life; the market laborers, street figures, and family interactions in his paintings seem ordinary but are full of emotion.
"I want everyone to see that even ordinary people are just as important in society."
This creative philosophy extended to his most representative work. When Malacañang Palace chose him to paint the official portrait for then-President Duterte, he was both surprised and excited, working day and night under a tight deadline just to accurately capture the president's spirit.
On the day he delivered the painting at Malacañang Palace, Duterte's phrase "Very impressive" made him feel highly affirmed.
Afterward, he painted the official portrait for current President Marcos Jr. Marcos Jr. was very approachable, even giving him special permission to enter Malacañang Palace in shorts, which left a deep impression on him. "Marcos Jr. is just like an ordinary person, with no airs at all."
Impas once served as president of the Cebu Artists Inc. (CAI) and the Portrait Artists Society of the Philippines (PASPI). His paintings have won numerous awards domestically and internationally, and he has served as a judge for many painting competitions, yet he still chose to continue learning.
At the age of 44, he returned to school, earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree four years later.
Impas has not yet visited Taiwan, but he is planning to take his family there this year, hoping to gain creative inspiration while traveling, including night markets, temples, street scenes, and various passersby.
He also hopes the Taiwanese public can see the daily life of the Philippines through his paintings, such as the "mano" (hand kissing) gesture of respect from younger to older people, and feel the commonalities of each other's cultures.
When talking about the most important work in his life, Impas didn't mention any award-winning pieces or presidential portraits, but rather his wife's portrait.
"That was the painting that changed my artistic career... If it weren't for that painting, I wouldn't be where I am today."
Impas is widely expected to enter the highest hall of Philippine art and become a "National Artist." Today, he continues to create and has built an art base combining a gallery, studio, and cafe in the mountains of Cebu, occasionally holding workshops and painting competitions to bring art closer to the public.
"I hope that even ordinary people can come to like art. Because of this, I built this space... I will also hold more different activities in the future. Everything I do is hoping that more people can come and participate." (Editor: Chen Cheng-kung) 1150419
Choosing to stand with facts, every sponsorship from you is the power to protect press freedom.
Download the CNA "First-hand News" APP to grasp the latest news instantly.
The texts, images, and audio/video of this website cannot be reproduced, publicly broadcast, publicly transmitted, or utilized without authorization.