De Dios worked in architecture from 1980 to 2010. When the Portrait Artists Society of the Philippines Inc. (PASPI) was founded in Cebu City in 2010, he became one of its founding members.

He began painting in the late 1990s, still based in Manila and still committed to architectural work. Inspired by Luna’s paintings, he painted whenever time allowed and spent weekends visiting museums and galleries. Every three months he returned home to Cebu, where he continued to struggle, learn, and refine his craft. He later joined Kolor Sugbu, a group that served as a training ground for many PASPI members. Their weekends were spent in the countryside, painting landscapes on the spot—works shaped by impressionist influences and the discipline of finishing a piece within a single day. “I had to catch the moment—the temperature, the atmosphere,” de Dios recalled. His architectural background naturally seeped into his early works through straight edges, hard lines, and geometric clarity, an influence reminiscent of the 1950s “Birth of the Cool” movement in art, design, and culture.

Back in Manila in 2004, while opportunities in architecture were still available, he met Maestro Romulo “Mulong” Galicano through colleagues Boy Briones, Carly Florido, and Jose “Pepe” Villadolid. This connection would further shape his path toward realism.