On Oct. 22, visual artist, designer and entrepreneur Rebie Picazo Ramoso, 46, received the “Lorenzo il Magnifico” International Award Special Commendation from the Jury in New Media Art at the Fortezza da Basso in Florence, Italy, for her work “Remembering Enchantment.”

“I entered the XIV Florence Biennale without any expectation of competing, but essentially using it as a platform to share the message of hope,” she said. “I brought with me a story of a young Filipino family, who, like many of us, is trying to survive by the day.”

The award-winning animated digital painting invites viewers to recall their childhood, where the first experiences of play, togetherness and being with loved ones were met with gratitude and wonder. Ramoso said that it is in being transported back into these core memories that we begin to realize that our differences in race, identity, socio-demographics and context begin to fade, and what we find are things that connect us.

“Remembering Enchantment” is based on the story of four children, one of whom has cerebral palsy, lovingly cared for by a young single mother. While they struggle to make ends meet, they still find gratitude in the simple experiences that foster their togetherness as a family.

“I recall the speech given by the guest artist during the closing of the Florence Biennale, which was a call for us to recognize the power of art to share messages of peace and nonviolence in a world stricken with war. That message grounded me somewhat. It reminded me that art exists for a higher purpose. What we do with it to contribute to society defines our path as artists,” said Ramoso. “It also recognizes that digital art can be a valid, credible and powerful medium to deliver messages that can impact our world today.”

Psychology to art

At the age of 5, Ramoso already knew she wanted to draw. Her parents encouraged her with art materials and allowed her to explore her interests, but it was different when pursuing a career. Ramoso felt that perhaps art was not a promising path then. “The hesitation came from my parents more than myself. I wanted to take up fine arts at the University of the Philippines (UP) but eventually had to pursue my second choice, psychology, in Ateneo de Manila,” she explained.

Ramoso worked as a copywriter in advertising and then tried to be an artist in the agency. However, they preferred someone with a degree in fine arts who was proficient in the digital software available then. That pushed her to learn such software ‘till she felt confident with it.

She later practiced as a counselor and a teacher while taking her master’s degree in counseling psychology. “It was very fulfilling to talk to people and help them work through their issues. I also found joy in seeing my students carve a path for themselves,” said Ramoso. However, she still felt something was missing.

That was when she learned about art therapy, a relatively new field in the country. In 2004, she entered the UP College of Fine Arts as a cross-enrollee in their studio art department. Focusing on painting, she intended to integrate art with psychology and eventually branch into art therapy.

Ramoso finally felt settled, as if she had found that missing piece. It was when she knew she had to pursue art. However, switching careers and entering an exclusive industry like the arts was challenging.

She said one had to graduate from an art school and be well-connected to enter the art scene. Unfortunately, she had neither, and her contemporaries were the same age as her students when she began teaching.

So Ramoso took on freelance work as a graphic designer for various organizations to build her portfolio. She joined calls for exhibitions abroad, which she found to be an easier way to show her work, as they judged entries based on merit and not solely on artistic background.

“In 2011, I got lucky and was accepted into an exhibition in the United States organized by the International Museum of Women. Since I was quite adept at using digital technology by then, my entry was a digital illustration focusing on a young mother’s love for her son battling cancer,” Ramoso said.

Soon after, she started exhibiting abroad, sharing women’s stories on survival, identity, grief and separation. She worked with an Italian curator who introduced her to other curators and art critics in Italy, where she now frequently exhibits.

Ramoso believes her background in psychology helped her find the form and direction she wanted her art to take. She said that simply making art is different from realizing that you are called to create and use art for a purpose far beyond your aspirations as an artist.

Analog to digital art

Since Ramoso learned to paint traditionally, she had to retrain herself to work with digital tools. “Traditional and digital media require the same amount of skill and labor. Painting on the computer requires a lot of hand and eye coordination, especially when you aren’t applying paint directly onto the surface of your screen (except perhaps if you are working on a display tablet). I would liken it to the experience of drawing using a mouse and moving the mouse along the mouse pad to create an image. That’s how I paint, except that I use a pen tablet. I don’t have a display tablet or a touch screen, so I have to trust that I can move my pen stylus accurately,” explained Ramoso.

Is painting digitally easier than traditional art? After all, you can delete unwanted strokes with a click. Ramoso clarified that while there are tools that make redoing easier using the computer, both media present unique challenges.

For example, when she wants to paint a 4-foot artwork, she doesn’t have the luxury of having a 4-foot canvas to see and rework the entire painting instantly; all she sees is a portion of her work, viewable from a 15-inch screen.

You also can’t make a large digital painting using a small document size and then enlarge it, hoping the resolution comes out clearly; you would have to work with the actual size.

“The digital brush is simply a medium, much like oil or watercolor. What defines an artist is the message they can convey in their work,” said Ramoso.

She added that painting digitally and using artificial intelligence (AI) are different modalities. Digital painting requires the same skills as traditional painting, as you still work with a blank canvas and apply strokes, except that the paint comes from a digital palette. AI uses prompts to generate images created by accumulated data collected online.

Ramoso finds it rewarding when people approach her and say they can relate to her artwork or have experienced the same. When people share their stories and reflections with her after seeing her art, she feels it brings life to what she creates. It solidifies her resolve to continue sharing stories of women’s aspirations, fears, dreams and experiences and facilitates healing and closure through her artworks.

“Recently, I have been praying that I will be an instrument to share messages of hope, gratitude and redemption in my art,” she revealed. “To be given recognition for my work as a digital artist is an honor, not only for myself but more so, for our country, which has a wealth of very talented artists just waiting for a platform to share their works globally.” —CONTRIBUTED