Powering through struggles with essential tremor, artist Sal Ponce-Enrile paints with resilience and purpose

A painter’s pulse often goes unnoticed yet for Sal Ponce-Enrile, every tremor leaves a mark. For the trained eye, the shifts in the movement of the paintbrush and the changes in the weight of the hand are not difficult to spot, especially in painterly works.

Ponce-Enrile’s recent paintings at her solo show “Illimité” at Art Cube Gallery show how painting, though a nonverbal art form, speaks volumes about its maker—as an artifact that captures the nuances of thought and action, tension and control.

Her brushwork reveals a delicate expressiveness that, when viewed both up close and from a distance, exudes an atmospheric quality that is playful and fragile at once.

Ponce-Enrile shares her struggle with essential tremor, a neurological disorder that causes involuntary shaking in her right hand, and how this challenge has shaped her studio practice as a contemporary painter.

In her solo exhibition, she presents a series of works that address both her passion and pain while painting, linked to her journey as a woman artist, as she defines her art practice on her own terms within the current cultural landscape.

A visual artist, philanthropist, technocrat, former politician, wife, and mother, Ponce-Enrile discusses how she powers through her struggles and, in the process, discovers how to channel the strength beneath her pain, crafting a visual language that reflects both her resilience and purpose.

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You wear multiple hats as a visual artist, philanthropist, founder of an investment firm, and former member of Congress, among others. However, your journey to becoming an artist came later in life—what influenced that shift?

I was only three pounds when I was born and although my survival defied the medical odds back then, the downside was that I grew up a very sickly child, becoming healthy only in early adulthood. Since I was often confined to my home because of my health, one way I entertained myself was through art.

I also used to be a rock singer in my younger years, performing in big concerts and traveling abroad. I suppose I always had an artistic side that needed to be liberated. A friend of mine saw one of my early works that I had posted on social media and told me to pick up my brushes and start painting again. That was in 2017 and I have not stopped painting since.

When I finished my term as congresswoman, I was trying to think of ways to continue my advocacy of contributing to the welfare of health and education, especially for women and children. I realized that I can achieve my goal of continuing to support women and children’s health and education through my art practice by donating proceeds of my work to my chosen charities.

You take from key influences from Western art history while also emphasizing the importance of breaking free from the “constraints of conventionality.” What ways of seeing have shaped your current work?

For me, modern art is all about the spirit of experimentation and innovation of forms, lines, shapes, and colors. The highlight of my exhibition is three works that embody these modern art principles.

“Untitled” is a homage to Picasso’s “Guernica” with the viewers depicted as abstracted figures. “Reverie” is inspired by Monet’s water lilies and the Surrealist movement but with a contemporary interpretation. “Scéal” (meaning “story” in Irish) evokes elements of Fauvism, with its striking and contrasting colors, dynamic movement, and bold strokes that convey messages—some hidden—inviting the viewer to create their own visual narrative.

I do have certain physical limitations when it comes to certain styles, which I don’t necessarily reject but have to deliberately avoid. Having to execute angular lines and shapes perfectly is a challenge for me due to my essential tremor, a condition that causes my right hand—the one I use for painting—to tremble involuntarily, making even simple straight lines difficult to achieve.

Looking at your paintings, I couldn’t help but notice the delicate expressiveness in your brushwork. Have you ever considered creating paintings that solely emphasize the visual movement or vibration resulting from your long-term struggle with essential tremor?

The tremors in my right hand make it difficult to paint straight lines, requiring much more effort. For my next solo show, I intend to create paintings that focus solely on the strokes, vibrations, and movements caused by my tremors—not working against my right hand’s condition but allowing the markings they create to become more visible and felt. Painting, though challenging, is my passion, and I can’t live without it.

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What does “Illimité,” the title of your one-woman exhibition at Art Cube Gallery, mean to you?

“Illimité” is a French word meaning unrestricted or unlimited. It represents my artistic style, which defies the traditional boundaries of a single, cohesive, visually identifiable artistic style. I believe that strictly adhering to a particular aesthetic or style can stunt an artist’s growth and restrict one’s creative process.

How does your womanhood and your understanding of what it means to be a woman in the 21st century shape and influence your studio work?

I celebrate womanhood through the rejection of rigid artistic definitions and societal expectations of a woman artist. If I ever do floral themes, my pieces would not look refined or conventionally feminine but would rather take the visual language of abstraction–bold brushwork, with depth and character. I would like to think that I am an intuitive painter; hence the need for that artistic freedom. From the start of my professional career as an artist eight years ago, I have always wanted to express an element of unpredictability in my works.

Tell us about your creative process. What is your relationship with paint as your primary medium, along with the other materials you explore in your studio practice?

Sometimes, I dream of colors and actual paintings, which I attempt to create on the canvas. I refuse to be too technical in my work for fear of overthinking and destroying the artistic flow. The only time I am a bit more aware of technical aspects is when I do figurative works yet I still somehow end up infusing my figures with a sense of painterly expressiveness.

As an intuitive painter, I also have my experimental moods when I explore materials and tools that are not typically used by artists for painting. This process always gives me great satisfaction, especially when I see interesting results.

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What are some of the key concepts and principles you have learned from your residencies in Rome and Florence that continue to influence your studio practice to this day?

The time I spent in Rome and Florence—under the guidance and mentorship of my favorite contemporary artists Denis Sarazhin and his wife Victoria Kalaichi—boosted my confidence in developing my own style on my own terms.

Denis once told us in class that we should not compare our works with each other because every painting is unique and an expression of the artist. In the beginning, I was intimidated to be sitting next to an excellent artist from Mexico with 20-plus years of experience. But at the end of the day, I learned that there aren’t many limitations to contemporary art. It was, of course, inspiring to learn the various techniques of oil painting, which I still apply to my works today.

What do you hope to accomplish in the next decade in your studio practice?

My dream is to really mature as an artist by exploring other modes of representation and production in art, particularly in the field of sculpture. But for now, I have to keep honing my skills and challenging myself by doing what seems impossible. I told myself that if I could paint the “Guernica” despite having essential tremors, perhaps I can be more adventurous and explore other techniques.

Name three women artists whose works and ideas you resonate with the most.

Cecily Brown, Joanne Greenbaum, Rita Ackermann.

What makes you happy?

Spending time with my family, painting, being healthy, and traveling are some of the things that make me happy.

Why are you an artist?

Painting is a way to connect to my inner self, to purge unwanted negative energy, and share a glimpse of my innermost feelings that would otherwise not be expressed through mere verbal communication.

Art gives me a sense of purpose, peace, and wholeness. My studio is my sanctuary, my “happy place.” Being an artist not only brings me joy but also benefits others by using it as a means to support and achieve other people’s dreams.

Produced by Angela Go-Agustin

Sal Ponce-Enrile’s solo exhibition, “Illimité” runs from March 15 to April 5, 2025 at Art Cube Gallery, located at Unit 104 G/F Building 3, OPVI Centre, 2295 Chino Roces Ave, Makati City