Happy 40th Birthday to the visionary artist, Kristine Soquilon! She’s kicking off her new decade not just with a party, but with a magnificent demonstration of faith and creativity in her new exhibition, “Velvet and Vines – An Art and Wine Collaboration,” held at the elegant Wine Story in EDSA Shangri-La Mall.

In a candid interview amidst her stunning, textured masterpieces, Kristine revealed the deeply personal and spiritual journey behind her latest collection.

Kristine’s entire 16-piece collection—created in a collaboration with Wine Story and inspired by wines from different countries—was brought to life in just two months. But for the artist, the speed is a testament to divine inspiration. “This is the main reason why I really like this collaboration… The first ever miracle that was performed by Jesus was turning water into wine,” Kristine shared. She views her artistic process as a parallel journey: “I just prepared everything, I prepared all the water, and miracle after miracle… It’s always Jesus who transformed that into wine. It’s always Jesus who restored me, who made everything beautiful.”

She spent time meticulously tasting the wines, studying their history, and understanding the process of their creation—like the New Zealand wines from high-altitude vineyards—allowing the liquid story to dictate her colors and brushstrokes.

The art world is currently grappling with the rise of AI-generated content, but Kristine is confidently defining her authentic place in it. Her solution is tactile and undeniable: texture. “I make sure, number one, my texture,” she said emphatically. “You really need to experience it, not just see it.”

Kristine’s mixed-media works are far from flat, demanding viewers to engage with their depth and complexity.

In a brilliant move against digital replication, she incorporates a collaboration with nature itself: the leaves in her works are actually molded from real leaves. “Nature is something you cannot duplicate perfectly,” Kristine noted. She sees her style as a gift from her Creator, one that no algorithm can truly replicate.

Now stepping into her 40s, Kristine is excited for the “next evolution” of her artistry. She admits she doesn’t have a concrete, five-year plan, but her direction is clear—to follow her spiritual calling, even if it leads her to uncomfortable places.

“There are going to be a lot of challenges… some of those places I don’t want to be in,” she stated honestly. But she finds comfort and vision in the life cycle of the leaves she uses: “The leaves grow, and they fall out, and then they go back. Just let everything flow… you will still be abundant, you will still grow. And the moment you keep on growing, you become more beautiful.”

Kristine Soquilon’s “Velvet and Vines” is a vibrant, textured exhibition that reminds us that true, authentic art is deeply rooted in human experience, faith, and the beautiful, complex chaos of nature—something even the smartest AI can’t fully replicate.