GUEST COLUMNIST

When all has been said and the toxicity on social media, even real time, may just be too much to bear and process, I always find gazing at art as a refreshing break — a solace for peace and reflection.

Art has a way of expressing the most insightful and intimate emotions that words may not always be able to match. Recently, an artwork that really moved me was a unique acrylic tissue painting made by a Kapampangan woman whose subject is also an admirable woman of substance.

The minute I saw artist Donna Camaya’s birthday gift to DBM Secretary Amenah “Mina” Pangandaman, I instantly felt that there must be a powerful story behind her beautiful portrait of the good secretary.   

The smiling image of Sec. Mina Pangandaman, who celebrated her birthday last Dec. 25, is the striking subject of Camaya’s art piece titled, “The Faithful One.” According to Donna, the painting is a tribute to the inspiring DBM secretary's admirable quality as a woman of faith, hope, and love.

In her own words, Donna describes her work: “Looking upward towards the direction of where the sun rises, praying for a better tomorrow.  The yellow color as background signifies a bright future — that is why the face of Amenah goes with a radiant smile.”

The artist says that the confident look on Sec. Mina’s face reveals “a woman with integrity and who has love for her country.”

Donna is the only artist I know who is specializing in acrylic on tissue. Now, art tissue is a flexible medium as one can either apply the paint on its smooth surface, or crumple the tissue first before painting to give it more texture and depth. In Donna’s case, I always love her happy colors and attentive renditions of people, nature, and religious characters. 

I was touched by the passion that Donna poured into the work. But I was even more heartened by her resilience and positive attitude in life. Donna is a cancer survivor and a PWD who continues to undergo treatment.

But there’s more that Donna, 50 years old, is reckoning with besides her illness: The loss of her husband and daughter at the height of the pandemic. She has one surviving child who is now in college and is taking up Nursing. Painting has been sustaining the mother and child especially since it is Donna’s main source of income.

Hearing Donna share her story on how she lost two members of her family really made me admire her more. In 2006, her husband was diagnosed with brain tumor, which caused him to be paralyzed after an operation. He lived a few more years and passed away on Nov. 1, 2020. Sadly, on the same day, Donna’s eldest child was diagnosed with end-stage renal disease.

Her daughter needed dialysis three times a week and Donna would diligently be with her child during the treatments. On April 20, 2021, her daughter joined the Creator, too — this was six months after her husband passed away. Donna’s trials even became more complicated (and unimaginable!) because she caught the Covid-19 virus at the time.

“Parang ayaw ko na bumangon noon,” Donna confessed. The struggles and grief that she was going through were just too much to bear. To some people, her problems would have caused them to suffer from a breakdown. Donna, however, managed to get it together. She had to.

But a dream somehow lifted the lingering dark clouds above her. In it, she saw her husband and daughter together looking so serene. Donna felt peaceful after that dream and knew in her heart that her late loved ones were in a good place.

Her spirit was revived and from then on, Donna became even more active and passionate with her painting — realizing that her youngest child depended on her.

“Just rely on God,” she said.

Donna reminded me of the story of Job who went through the most severe challenges and even came to the point of nearly giving up on his faith and God. But, in the end, he also came to realize that our Mighty Father is kind and will never forsake us. Only when Job realized this did he learn to surrender to Him.  And Job's awakening also showed him how our kind Father had been with him through his journey.

Through her inspiring story of hope and faith, I understood and appreciated Donna’s works even more.

Her vibrant colors, the powerful joy, and sense of dignity in all her acrylic paintings on delicate tissue as canvas really emanated from her gaping wounds where her faith in God passed through as light, healing, and enlightenment.

Indeed, there’s hope!