TAKE HOME THE ULTIMATE SOUVENIR! MEET KEVIN CAPUS & THE PHILIPPINES INK 100
As Tattoo Tourism Season approaches again in the Philippines Islands, we thought it’d be nice to revisit The 2015 PH INK MASTERS and the Reigning PH INK MASTER Kevin Capus.
Courtesy of The American Press Service and PH INK Magazine Archives.
Enjoy.
Philippines Art & Tattoo Tourism Season Kick-Off | The PH INK Masters Weekend
Kevin Capus of Caloocan, Philippines, Ichieban Tattoo,wins The Masters for the second consecutive year.
The PH INK MASTERS was held in the Indang, Cavite, Philippines last week as the finale to The Philippines INK International Magazine Launch Party and Carasuchi Artists Festival Weekend.
The weekend event was a summertime resort-style get-a-way, hosted at Carasuchi Villa Mansion by Cavite City, Mayor Dimero, US Publisher Kareem Antonio-Jackson, The Richards, with The Tiongson Group, The PH INK Crew and Jomatz Tolentino.
The 2015 PH INK MASTER was much more relaxed and intimate than in 2014 competition, which was hosted in Malate City, Philippines.
The 2014 Masters was sold out and though exciting, it took away from the over-all enjoyment. So, in 2015, to raise the odds, only 16 artists made it to the Dragon War Finals which was held in the intimate and exclusive PH INK Carasuchi Villa-style Mansion as a retreat.
The Finalists, as well as, their families, friends and art lover fans; such as Masters Finalist Aldrin De Castro, checked in early on Saturday to enjoy the day of rest, bonding and relaxation prior to the Sunday afternoon competition. As a tribute, guest enjoyed chef prepared meals, poolside cocktails, cold beers and gourmet desserts. With over 100 over-night guests and another 100+ guest and fans on competition day; all rooms and bungalows were sold out; guests also occupied the Carasuchi Villa Mansion 2, which has its own private swimming pool, just across the street.
Bles Chavez-Bernstein from Miami, USA performed for a private dinner with Mayor Dimero and the Masters; followed by DJ Black Solo for a short hip-hop reggae set, before the Masters retreated to bed, in preparation for the competition the next day.
On Sunday, Masters Finalists enjoyed an early breakfast and lunch by the pools. Then, the competition started promptly at 1PM. With artists and models positioned poolside, in bungalows, gazebos, the gardens and inside the mansion.
The P20,000 Cash Prize, Winner-Takes-All tattoo competition, was extended from just 5-hours to 6-hours to allow competitors time to finalize their masterpieces. However, even then around 4 artists did not finish in time for judging, but all artists were endorsed and certified as PH INK Masters.
The 2015 PH INK MASTER Top 10:
- Kevin Capus
- Karl RezzelLabog
- Cyrus Maravilla
- JaissonRegala
- Cris Palacio
- Carlo Esguerra
- Red
- Patrick “ATEK” Regodon
- Charles Angeles
- Aldrin De Castro
One of the best pieces of the day however was, “IRON MAN” by Master Mark Tinta. An amazing realism masterpiece, Tinta was sure to have been in the TOP 10, but, lost points for not following the ‘Dragon Wars’ theme.
PH INK MASTER Final Four:
#1 Kevin Capus #2 Karl Rezzel Labog #3 Cyrus Maravilla #4 Jaisson Regala
But in the end, once again, defending 2014PH INK MASTER ChampionKevin Capus took home the 2015 Title of PH INK MASTER and the P20,000 Cash Prize. His “Baby Dragon” masterpiece tattoo was “one of the first to be completed…it is an original…and eye-catching” mentioned the Judges. Kevin Capus tattooed poolside in a tranquil courtyard garden gazebo -perhaps that helped him succeed. The piece was “An Original Kevin Capus Freehand Masterpiece” from his original vision-concept, the sketch, to its application onto the skin canvas of his model; and without and ‘picture’ reference. Capus and The Ichieban Crew arrived late on Saturday night, after the gates were locked and with just a few hours of sleep in the mansion, they did surprisingly well. For the past two years, Capus’ originality, time-management and free-hand-style have been his secret weapons against some strong competitors.
See the Premier Edition of Philippines INK International Tattoo Tourism, Lifestyle & Culture Magazine and hundreds of awesome Philippine artists at: www.PhilippineINK.com
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