Noah Sian: The Bacolod Artist Who Painted a Presidential Portrait

During the 43rd MassKara Festival, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. graced the highlight at the Paglaum Sports Complex. His attendance became an opportunity for a Bacolod artist to showcase his artistry and impress the president himself. Noah Sian gave the president a special gift–a portrait that he painted.

About Bacolod Artist Noah Sian

Noah T. Sian is a full-time artist based in Bacolod City. And during the 43rd Masskara Festival, he gifted the 17th president of the Philippines a portrait after his public appearance during the arena dance competition.

The portrait is 25 inches by 21 inches and painted using watercolor. It took seven days to finish the portrait, Sian shared.

Motivated by other Filipino artists that he saw on Facebook who also gave the president a portrait, Sian’s gift also meant to represent the city as well as the province of Negros Occidental.

Sian recalled how fulfilled he was with the once-in-a-lifetime experience and more so with the gratefulness that president Marcos showed after he received the artwork.

Despite the last-minute idea, Sian was happy for the opportunity to gift the artwork to the president, with the help of Atty. Marty Go, a former TV personality.

At the early age of four, the young Noah already showed interest in the visual arts when he made his first drawings mostly of his favorite superheroes and cartoon characters. Growing up, he had won several top prizes in painting competitions. He also held his first one-man art exhibit at the Gallery Blanco of the Negros Museum when he was 13.

In the past, Sian also presented a gift to the Ambassador of Spain Thomas Rodriguez Pantoja. It was a portrait he made from a newspaper photo of the ambassador during the 6th Anniversary Celebration of the Negros Museum. The ambassador was very impressed when he learned that the young Noah had no formal training as a painter.

His Inspirations

Sian described his works as “mostly simple things often neglected by many, things we encounter in our daily lives, personalities that impress us, places that capture our hearts, and moments that mesmerize our minds.”

Now, having more than 10 years in the visual arts under his belt, Sian continues to pursue his passion in order to give inspiration to young artists. “Passion is the key to excellence,” Sian expressed. “Giving up is the greatest failure, so just keep going. Always love your craft.”