Much has been said about trailing on the art career. Some thinks it’s a work that everyone wants to do and anyone can do so it’s a low paying job. Others see this career involved with subjective evaluations vulnerable to bias or discrimination and thus, does not guarantee success. There are also those who believe that being an artist means not getting much or having just enough to get by.
These viewpoints that many people hold about the art career, however, was disputed by renowned Filipino-Australian artist who had raised her five children – all professionals today – through her passion for the arts.
Daisy Ann Gonzalez-Cumming is a household name to the Filipino-Australian community. This well-respected artist who had exhibited in many parts of the world said, “You know we have a wrong belief that artists go hungry – that’s not true –because I raised my kids, five of them, as a solo parent. Unluckily, I had an unhappy [first] marriage but I raised them up [my children] through the arts so it’s not true!”
Well-respected Filipino-Australian artist, Daisy Ann Gonzalez-Cumming Source: (Instagram of Mrs Gonzalez-Cumming)
Though this portraitist turned abstract artist and impressionist might have hailed from a family of artists –being the daughter of the great portraitist, Felix Gonzalez –she still credited much of her success to God.
“Yes, because I don’t have formal schooling in Fine Arts so I value my gift because it came from God,” shared Mrs Gonzalez-Cumming who only started to paint at the age of 21.
She recounted incredulously how she became an academician in a university without finishing a degree in Fine Arts, had 17 resident artists she promoted in the United States, established and owned four art galleries and created two original styles in painting – the ‘seven strokes’ and the ‘tube painting’. All these milestones she believed to have achieved by God’s grace and her love for the arts.
Today, Mrs Gonzalez-Cumming stands proud of where she is and what she had accomplished. She had lived most days of her life as an artist and passed it on her three children who are artists themselves – one even took on the lead role of ‘Miss Saigon’ in London.
Title of Artwork: In Bloom Artist: Daisy Ann Gonzalez-Cumming Source: D'Gonzalez Fine Arts Facebook page
“I’m living my purpose which is to serve the people, and that’s my thing! Achievement for me is when I do what God said.”
For Mrs Gonzalez-Cumming, the story of a starving artist did not resonate with her. And maybe it’s not really true for someone who has a valor heart to share and express her creativity to the world. Her faith, strong-willingness and passion not only brought her somewhere but made her go places, receiving high honours and admiration from the art community.
