NIGHT OWL
Anna Mae Lamentillo
Some artists discover their gifts early, some realize their talents much later. But once they fully embrace their artistic passions, there’s no stopping them — like Jane Cuevas.
Jane only became a full-time artist after her 2018 entry to the Metrobank Art & Design Excellence (MADE). She made it to the semi-finals, then decided to pursue a career in art. Since then, she has joined several group exhibitions and her art has piqued the interest of many.
Her paintings are very interesting. They are colorful and could be mistaken for digital art, but once you look closely, you will notice the textures, the brush strokes, and imperfections of the fine lines.
From dancing to painting
Jane’s first love was actually dancing. Her dream was to be able to dance on the international stage. But life had other plans for her. She had lost a part of her hearing, and as a result, can no longer dance to the rhythm. It was hard for her, but it’s as if life was leading her to use her other senses.
She remembers the time when she only knew how to make a stickman. One day, she asked her father for money so she could buy dress up dolls. He thought those paper dolls cost a lot, so he made one for her out of a carton box. She was so amazed at how her father drew a spitting image of her mother.
Now, Jane can obviously paint more than just the stickman. It has now been replaced with delicate line details and numerous color combinations to create masterpieces that reflect her upbringing and imagination.
JANE CUEVAS (Photo by Jeffsen Mangahis)
Jane explains, “My visual style is influenced by my personal, artistic, and natural references such as stories from my family and friends, my mundane habits that reflect the gravity of my own emotions and experiences.”
Self-healing through painting
She further reveals that she translates her self-healing process on canvas: “The fine lines create a wonderful self-healing to me.”
Through her works, Jane is able to share that process of self-healing to other people. She already has an imprint on her paintings — they carry the message of a person surrounded with colorful places but carrying dark emotions.
She’s advocating suicide prevention. Her painting is her way to communicate the importance of self-empowerment through self-healing and self-love. She hopes to share positivity and discourage self-loathing. She wants to empower women so that they can pursue their dreams and goals.
“A person must first learn to love themselves in order to appreciate the beauty that surrounds them. To wish for something great for our country is to work first on ourselves,” she explains.
Jane understands that art is a very powerful form of communication that can influence people to make real-life changes. Through her paintings, she is able to release her emotions, and somehow, she is able to share those emotions to her audience while also accompanying them in their own journey.
Maybe the strength in Jane’s art is that it reflects the personal struggles that each one of us is trying to battle with, albeit silently. Every painting is like a piece of advice from her.
But for young artists, Jane warns them not to be naïve. She explains that there are people who might take advantage of them or take credit for their hard work. She encourages them to pursue their passion but never let their guard down: “Continue to learn, create and explore your art until someday, someone will recognize your works without even putting a name on it. Embrace yourself to do what is right for you, since this world is too cruel to be too good.”