WOMEN artists view life from a different perspective, and they are able to apply that “woman’s touch” which can make a difference, according to visual artist and portrait painter Ginny Guanco.
She has always admired “Grandma Moses,” an American folk artist who began painting only at the age of 78. Her many works on rural landscapes proved that one could become successful in an art career even at an advanced age. She painted until the ripe old age of 101!
Guanco also liked Yayoi Kusama, a Japanese artist who does works in sculpture, installation, fashion and painting, among other forms of art. Her famous collaboration with Louis Vuitton on her “polka dots” series became such a prominent fashion statement in recent years.
“Creativity knows no gender or backgrounds. One’s talents and skills should not be confined to just one particular group of people,” Guanco said.
When Guanco is given the opportunity, she teaches art to children. “I mentor and encourage kids who have the talent at a young age. Like, there’s this boy in church that I saw potential in. Through the years, I monitored his progress, at times even giving him art materials for his school needs. At 17 today, he excels in his art at school and I’m really happy about it,” she shared.
For her, the number one thing to address the challenges of women artists is to have the confidence to believe in themselves and to believe that God gave them the gift of art to be used for a good purpose. “Never compare yourself with others who have been in the industry longer.”
Guanco considers herself a “late bloomer” as there was a 15 year-hibernation for her when she took on different career paths — in media and then in public relations. “But as they say, once an artist, always an artist. So when I began to hold a brush again, my love for art was rekindled, and the flame has never run out,” she mentioned.
Female artists differ from male artists in their representation of women as subjects in terms of style, technique, approach, and outcome. “The art is softer, more gentle, and therefore it has more fluidity. But this is not to discard male artists who draw the female subject as they see it through their eyes,” she explained.
To support women artists in the present and build a more gender-inclusive art world, Guanco said: “You support women artists by attending their art exhibits, book launches, or by purchasing their paintings and books. You hang their paintings in your homes or proudly show these pieces in public venues, museums and galleries, showcasing their talents and making it known that these are works made by women.”
Power lies in inner strength, and the ability to cope with tough situations by facing the problems head on and finding solutions for this, Guanco said. “It depends on what I aim to achieve. If ‘being a powerful woman’ means having the power to influence others to do good, I’m all for this.’
Guanco, whose art has been instrumental in uplifting people’s souls, admires her mother the most, who never asserted her authority, was good and kind to household help and sales ladies, and knew how to make them smile and help make their day better. Her power, she said, is her ability to give and forgive.
This International Women’s Month, women artists, she added, should all come out and be catalysts of change through their art.
“This may sound rather abstract but you can cause an impact in someone’s life through a painting. It can be in the subject you choose, the colors you apply, the message you wish to convey — which is to spread peace and love to the world around you,” she noted.
“The woman has to be willing to learn new things and to constantly seek to improve oneself in becoming her best version,” she advised. To achieve equity, individuals have to see potential in a person, develop one’s strengths rather than to hype on the weaknesses, and know that each has a part in contributing to the whole.
