ARDENT PURSUITS
Katrina Cuenca shapes a purposeful path to success with an indomitable love for her craft and the Filipino community
What makes a successful artist? There’s no clear-cut answer to this question; every creative path is different. In the case of Katrina Cuenca, hers was one she spent carefully carving: a garden cultivated with the seeds of talent, perseverance, and dedication.
Cuenca never underwent formal training in the field. “I studied Finance of all things, but that wasn't what I wanted to do,” she shares. Still, nothing could stand in the way of her desire to create. She set out to share her work with the world, organizing small group exhibits and partnering up with real estate developers who were willing to lend their spaces, using her business acumen to pave the way for more opportunities.
Cuenca even covered the expenses of a gallery for her work to be exhibited at a fair. “Did anybody stop by to look at it?” was the only question she asked when she visited the event, because it was what mattered. Many people did indeed stop to admire and photograph her work, proving that great skill shines through, regardless of how it’s developed.
Today, Cuenca is a celebrated female artist. Though she’s becoming a household name, she hasn’t forgotten what it took to get to where she is. Cuenca is paying it forward, supporting various organizations like International Care Ministries (ICM), Helping Hands Foundation, and recently The Medical City. She wants to raise awareness on mental illness and breast cancer—she holds the latter advocacy close to her heart.
“It's very important for me and my husband that we give back to the art community, to fellow artists, and to anybody in need," Cuenca explains. “I’m not just painting for myself anymore;
I'm not just painting for people to have something in their homes. Its purpose is to help somebody, and that's priceless.”