Raul G. Isidro, a multi-awarded artist in Philippine contemporary art opens his 48th solo exhibit of acrylic paintings at the Crucible Gallery, SM Megamall at 6:30 p.m. tomorrow.

An art leader and a former director of the PWU College of Fine Arts, Isidro was chosen as one of The Outstanding Young Men of the Philippines (TOYM) in 1979 for his achievements and contributions in the field of fine arts. He also received the Araw ng Maynila Patnubay ng Sining at Kalinangan Award and was named Outstanding Thomasian for Visual Arts in 2006.

Isidro received a cultural grant from the Australian Foreign Affairs department in 1981 under which he lectured about Philippine art at selected universities in the cities of Canberra, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Brisbane.

In 1972, his two entries to the National PAP Print Competition won for him both the grand prize and and the first prize. He also won in the 1968 AAP Outdoor Sculpture Competition for the Luneta Park and in the painting competition of the Art Association of the Philippines in 1969.

During his 10-year stint in Northern California (1985-1995), he actively participated in international group art exhibitions. He also held three one-man shows in the San Francisco Bay area and was appointed a board member of the Hayward City Arts Council and the Public Art Committee of the city of Hayward. He was president of the AAP in 1983 and of the Philippine Association of Printmakers from 2001 to 2006.

Today, Isidro is occupied with commissioned works for public and private collectors, as well as participating in group exhibitions here and abroad.