Young artist meets his hero Efren 'Bata' Reyes thanks to his charcoal portrait of billiards legend

A young Kapampangan artist got the chance to meet his all-time hero Efren “Bata” Reyes, thanks to a hyper-realistic charcoal painting he made during quarantine.

John Marko Dadulo, a 19-year-old industrial technology student from Mexico, Pampanga, spent two months working on his masterpiece and later posted it on social media.

The artwork received a lot of praise online, which paved the way for him to personally hand it to “The Magician” himself.

“Masaya po talaga na wala po akong masabi,” John Marko told GMA News Online about meeting his idol face to face.

“That time, nanginginig pa kamay ko po nung binubuksan ko po 'yung painting para ipakita sa kanya then nung nag-smile po siya nasabi ko po sa sarili ko na sulit lahat ng puyat at pagod na ginugol ko sa painting,” he said.

Aside from helping him meet Efren in the flesh, John Marko's art also helped his family get through the toughest of times.

Like many Filipinos, John Marko's family lost their main source of income due to the coronavirus pandemic.

But thanks to his beautiful charcoal paintings of several well-known personalities like Lupita Nyong'o, Zayn Malik, and Gigi Hadid, he has now attracted commissions from all over the world.

“Marami pong nag-inquire sa 'kin galing sa local and foreign po na customer,” the artist said.

“Naiiyak nalang po ako minsan sa mga blessings na dumadating na nagpapagawa po sa 'kin ng mga paintings,” he added.

Now that his love for art has made his dreams come true and more, John Marko encourages aspiring artists like himself never to lose hope despite the most difficult of times.

—MGP, GMA News