Today’s Notable Young Professional is Guelph, Ontario artist Patrick Cruz, who was recently announced as a winner of the 17th Annual RBC Painting Competition. We caught up with him to discuss this milestone and what advice he would share with other aspiring artists…
WORK
1. Describe what you do in less than 140 characters. Go.
I use paint as my primary medium to reflect on the experiences that I myself have participated and observed.
2. Who has helped you the most in your career? Who has been your biggest inspiration?
Santiago Bose & Liz Magor.
3. What is the most memorable milestone in your career so far?
Winning the national title for the 17th RBC Canadian Painting Competition.
4. Where do you see yourself in 5 years, 10 years, 20 years?
Making and teaching art and starting an independent art institution.
5. Do you have any advice for other young artists?
Stay humble and keep doing what you love the most. Always approach failure in a productive and generative sense. Art is a tough path but the rewards are priceless and often life-changing. Finally, as we all know, pressure makes diamonds, so keep working hard.
6. Do you support any causes? If so, which one(s) and why is it (or they) important to you?
I like to connect artistic communities in unconventional ways. In 2014, I began a project called Kamias Triennale, which invited local artists in Quezon City, Philippines to produce experimental works that responded to ephemerality. In its upcoming iteration in 2017, I plan to invite Canadian artists and Filipino artists to participate in the event to foster a dialogue between the artistic practices that are being made in North America and South East Asia. This productive event can potentially make stronger global networks and amplify the importance and relevance of artistic communities.
7. What is one major challenge that you’ve had to overcome in your career? How did you overcome it?
I almost abandoned art completely in favour of culinary school, partly because the field of art is a tough one and it is the most unorthodox occupation I can think of. Often you don’t get paid for projects, and even if you get paid, it is quite hard to equate it to the amount of work you have provided. So I thought cooking would be a good venture and seemed to be stable and creative enough to meet my needs. However, art prevailed in the end.
8. What does the word notable mean to you?
It means something worth coming back to because it is either relevant, seductive, notorious, conspicuous or, rather, spicy.
PLAY
1. Where is your favourite place to wine/ dine in your city and why?
Double Dragon on Macdonell St. in downtown Guelph. There is only one way of knowing why it bears the title “double”…
2. What’s the most visited website on your Internet browser? The most played song on your phone?
Gmail and Gryph Mail dominate my browser. I also have no songs on my phone other than the U2 album that Apple installed without my consent.
3. Who is one artist you wish every Canadian was paying attention to right now?
Tania Bruguera.
4. What’s your favourite country to visit and why? And what’s the next one you plan on travelling to?
I will be biased and say the Philippines because I grew up there and it’s nice to see how it is transforming and evolving. I also miss the food so much. Spain is up next.
5. What gives you the greatest FOMO?
That cheesecake stall that has a 24/7 lineup close to the Greyhound station in downtown Toronto.
6. What’s your guiltiest pleasure?
Not doing anything.
7. What’s something you wish you didn’t spend so much money on? What’s something you wish you spent more on?
I haven’t really spent much money on anything else but school; I have loaned a lot of money from the government to pay for my education. On the other hand, if I had a chance to spend that money elsewhere, I would allocate it to building my own art school.
8. And finally, what does success look like to you? Work, play, or otherwise…
Contentment in any form.