More than two decades after completing his fine arts degree at the Technological University of the Philippines (TUP), Row Bean Paz unexpectedly returned to his first love, in an artistic (not romantic) sense. It was unplanned, as he was and still is engrossed in his work as an art director at an advertising company, which is his means to support his family.

A father of three, his talent for art was not seen by his wife nor his children until few years ago, when his artistic creativity was rekindled, thanks to his batchmates and artist-friends.

It was in 2019 that he was invited by his batchmates for an art exhibit, celebrating their silver anniversary since graduating from TUP in 1994.

He once again painted, and that painting became part of the exhibition just for the sake of joining and for pakikisama (camaraderie). It was frustrating for him, as it was his first time to use his creative juices after more than two decades of devoting his time to corporate work.

Little did he know that that his “frustration” and indifference to the art scene would turn out for the best following another exhibit in October of the same year together with other TUP artists, and it was the live music jam during the opening of that show that made the difference.

Being part of the music ministry of the Couples for Christ (CFC) in his area in Quezon City, that music jam reignited his passion for visual art.

Then the pandemic came. Living alone, as his family was staying in his wife’s province of Tarlac, this caused him paranoia. However, due to the prodding of his friends, he went back almost full-time to art, starting with a painting that was bought in 2020 by his first art patron, a sister from their religious community.

Since then, he has made many works and participated in group shows in and around Metro Manila.

Joyous moment

In a documentary produced by CFC in 2022, Paz was quoted as saying that he “was reunited to the thing I loved 25 years ago” and it was a “joyous moment” when, for the first time, his family eventually saw him paint.

For him, life is art, and while he admits that there are always struggles, he maintains a positive attitude in life and in his art. His artistic journey may have been a struggle, but Paz is already establishing a name for himself in the art scene. His work that best defines his art journey is the mixed media “Ojos de mechanika” (mechanical eyes), signed with both the years 1995 and 2020. This was his last work in 1995 that remained unfinished, as a message from ABS-CBN, his first employer, arrived, requesting him to report for a skill test. “I was not able to go back to that piece since, and I was able to complete it only in 2020 after our group show,” he said. Another interesting work is his “Unwraping my unwrapped faith,” an acrylic-on-canvas opus that defined his faith, particularly during the pandemic. “It is about my personality that was sidelined during the pandemic and restored due to God’s continued outpouring of blessing.” His first solo show is now being planned.