Day Pajarillo
Was there ever a moment you stopped making art, and if so what brought passion and inspiration back?
I would say that my rebirth as an artist started in 2018. I started drawing when I was 3 years old. My dad and I will fill up the notepad my mom gave me so I can practice writing. But I filled it with my drawings instead. With the help of my dad. I have to have a separate drawing pad when I was still in school because my teachers give points for neat notebooks. I would always doodle when I listen to class lessons and I get in trouble for it. I did stop making art when I gave birth, there would be gaps, but i couldn't say i totally stopped. I was just restricted. But when I got my PR(permanent residency) here, that's when I dropped everything and jumped back into creating.
Have you gone to art school or are you self taught?
I do have a bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts and Painting is my major. I also have a background in Fashion design and architecture. In painting I would say that I have taught myself how to be better at it. I remember when I was in college, my profs would just put some items on a pedestal or table and were on our own, to paint a still life. Same with outdoor painting, portraiture, and life painting. I learned from my classmates because some of them were already training under a famous painter who lives in their community. I have no one to mentor with, there was no youtube at that time. The 80’s.
If you are self taught what resources or exercises did you use to learn?
I taught myself how to draw better by copying my own hands. I love to draw people. I had a hard time drawing hands and I would always make my drawing with the hands hidden. I bought books and copied the drawings or images. I followed the instructions for using oil paints and watercolors. When I got here in Canada, oil paint was not good to use indoors, unlike in the Philippines where it's humid, our windows are always open. Using acrylic paints was new to me, I was very curious and interested. I was not comfortable at first because I like the richness of the oil paint. Acrylic can achieve that effect but it dries fast like watercolor. I have gotten comfortable using acrylic paints and learning the difference of different brands.
If you went to school, what would you say are the most important lessons you learned?
The most important lesson for me is to always keep your feet on the ground because there is always somebody who is better than you. I learned to appreciate the great talent of my peers and how they work. They were very supportive when I knew nothing at that time, so I also shared my knowledge with those who asked me for help with their artworks.
What is the most challenging part about being an artist for you? How did you overcome that challenge?
The most challenging part is living as a full time visual artist. That I have to apply for every opportunity and compete with too many great talents. I win some, and lose some. But it is not yet sustainable. I struggle financially. I dont have my own place or studio and i can't do other things like sewing, sculpture etc. for the lack of space and i have roommates
How did I overcome it… I am still experiencing it. I can't rely on anybody because this is my life choice. I now have a part time job, I am also thinking about going back to working full time like I used to when I first came here. Like a foreign worker under a permit. After the pandemic, everybody suddenly became artists! I do not know if i will have time to paint if i do get a full time job because i will be too tired. I am not young anymore, my dominant hand is starting to feel a bit tight. So I hope I can find a full time job that is related to art with a regular revenue and save for my old age..
What drives the inspiration in your paintings? How would you describe your style?
My greatest inspiration is my experience because painting is like journaling my daily experience. My canvas is my big piece of paper in my diary. I am not very fond of writing, I have crappy penmanship, though my head is full of stories, I see visions of my imagination and I paint it. Whatever I am going through when I create a masterpiece is in each piece I paint.
My style, I was told, is versatile and prolific. I can paint whatever I want in whatever style. From realistic to abstract. Whatever I feel like creating. I can just safely say my comfort zone is figurative abstraction in cubism
What would you recommend to new artists trying to build a career? What are the keys to success?
I would recommend following what they think is right for them. They know within themselves what it is. Where your passion takes you and believes in yourself that you can do it. Do not be discouraged easily. This is not an easy profession.
I believe the key to success is to learn everything that you can and be excellent in what you are good at. It is a cliche to say practice makes perfect, it makes you better and better. Keep your name clean so people will trust you and your talent because you keep your name until you are gone. That is your legacy.
How long have you been painting? And what would you go back and tell your younger self if you could?
I have been painting for I think an accumulated 15 years of my life. I would tell younger self to start early and not let anybody hold you down. Believe in yourself even if nobody else does, because in time, there will be some who will.
What markets and resources have you used in Calgary to sell your work? And what would you say made it successful ?
I think I have tried many markets and events that I see on social media here in calgary. I sold a lot in the Artspot under 100 art show, in some small market events, sometimes I went home zero I didn't break even for the fee or transportation. But since I was always showing up most of the time at events, I kind of gained some audience and got recommendations for commissioned arts or teaching an art class. I have been approved of a grant once and had public art projects so I was able to support myself somehow.
What made it successful is because it is ongoing and gets a lot of social media attention that reaches a lot of people and they look forward to it. It does not make you rich but you get to sell your artwork that is piling up and you don't have a heart to just throw it out. It is an event for liquidation of artwork for a lot of artists, the money you make out of the event helps a lot to buy new art materials or even pay your rent and bills.
What is currently your favourite art supply? How has it impacted your art?
My favourite art supply is my kneaded eraser, the art gum. I love it because when I do pencil portraits or just sketching fashion illustrations, I use it to erase the mistakes and it does not create crumbs or residue, dirt like regular erasers. And you can shape it like a clay, make it to the size of the spot you want to correct. It is also kind of therapeutic because I take a break from my drawing and assess what I need to adjust, i play with it kneading, squeezing, rolling it without the waxy feeling of a clay and no residue left in my hand too. Its impact is that it makes me feel secure in what I am doing, that I can easily correct my mistakes with less mess.
What advice do you have for developing artists?
For developing artists, there is always someone who they look up to or pattern their style with. I would advise you to keep practicing and to develop your own signature, your own style, so when people look at your work they know it's you and not a copycat.
Who is your biggest inspiration?
My family. My parents, grandparents, my child and my grandchildren, my brothers and my cousins. They are the people who no matter what always have my back and they all believed in me.