Luz Ocampo was turning 75 on our first encounter. (She would invite me to her birthday party later). I was prepared to meet an elderly woman, who moved about slowly, spoke feebly, and had a difficult time remembering things. Boy was I wrong!

She was sprightly, preferring to move about while talking, and had tales to share from when she was a young girl. But more than that, what blew my mind away was her ability to do paper-cutting and fruit carving with intricate designs at her age.

Ka Nene, as she was fondly called, made pastillas de leche wrappers, called 'pabalat' and this is where her paper-cutting skills came in. Pastillas are carabao milk candies, a well-known product of Bulacan, a province more than 70 kilometers north of the Philippine capital.

As delicious as these sweets were, what made them more attractive and popular were the wrappers made by artisans like Ka Nene. They had a variety of designs, mostly inspired by the rich culture of her hometown, formerly known as San Miguel de Mayuyao. These ranged from as simple as flowers and basket combinations, to a nipa hut, coconut trees, and a man pounding rice, among others.

Meeting a genius

Her imagination was only matched by her excellent cutting skills. The designs are drawn in an area measuring 9 inches by one inch, then cut using a small pair of sharp scissors. Imported Japanese paper folded to size is the only kind of material Ocampo used. These were smooth, thin, and easy to cut.

At the time of our interview, her concern was that paper-cutting was a dying art. She couldn't even be certain of passing it on to any of her children, who showed little interest in the craft then.

The woman had been conducting training around the country but saw little actual interest and potential. Yes, people were amazed by her work, and perhaps intimidated as well. But the passion and commitment needed to be an excellent paper-cutter was missing. Her concern about it being a dying art was valid.

Patent it

One of the smartest decisions Ka Nene made was to protect her many designs. After all, she did put in time and used her imagination in a huge way to come up with each one. It wasn't just the elements that went into each design, but how to fit them in such small space and still make them recognizable.

She patented 25 out of more than 50 of her original designs depicting rural town scenes, from the iconic coconut tree, to the nipa hut, and the woman wearing a traditional Filipina dress.

Personalized designs

Designs can also be customized, with clients requesting names or logos on their wrappers. When I had a client seeking a special souvenir for foreign guests, I thought of Luz Ocampo. The idea was to incorporate the group's name within her usual local designs.

Instead of a candy wrapper, I laminated them and turned these to bookmarks. It was a hit! The souvenir was both personalized and unique, and didn't require extra space to bring home so they wanted more than one piece. What amazed them more was the fact that it was made by an octogenarian.

Mesmerizing

If the final product was astonishing, watching the woman work was even more astounding. With her three-and-a-half inch razor-sharp scissors, she cut along the design she had drawn as pattern on the Japanese paper, and spent about 15 to 20 minutes to complete each one.

Precise craftsmanship and a sharp sense of visualization are her tools to complement her designs. And she never missed a beat even as she talked while cutting.

Aside from candy wrappers, Ka Nene was equally adept at fruit carving. And her fruit of choice is the local lime called dayap, which is about the size of a golf ball. Instead of scissors, she used an umbrella rib to carve her designs. Once she completes the design, she would scoop out the flesh and seeds. Fourteen to 16 balls are transferred to 16 oz bottles and filled with syrup.

Self-taught

At 12, Ka Nene learned fruit carving and paper cutting mostly from the women in her town. With her mother into the art, she took a strong interest in it and followed suit. She was never formally taught but opted to watch and keep pace with the women who were doing it, gained confidence and perfected her skill.

After getting married and having children, she never formally worked, choosing instead to pursue the cutting and carving, and earning from it. Her work gained prominence and people were flocking far and wide for her intricate wrappers.

Passing the baton

At 80, and with no prospects of anyone taking over for her, she continued with her paper cutting to build inventory. An order usually consists of a hundred pieces, so she just kept cutting and cutting just to ensure she would have enough in case someone wanted to buy from her.

Eventually, her daughter must have realized how valuable the work and skill her mother had and accepted the legacy by taking on the art herself. Naty Ocampo-Castro is fortunate because she had patented designs to work with.

Luz Ocampo passed away at the ripe age of 93. She had retired from paper cutting at 88. I am certain she was settled after having passed on the tradition to her daughter. The art will continue to live, and hopefully thrive.

She was a genius, a master, a generous soul. And anyone who has ever seen or been in possession of her pastillas wrappers will never forget the woman whose creativity and passion further enriched the Philippine art culture.

Lead image courtesy of bulakenyo.ph