Cover Fatima Ronquillo (Photo: Courtesy of Meyer Gallery Santa Fe)
Fatima Ronquillo (Photo: Courtesy of Meyer Gallery Santa Fe)
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This self-taught artist merges old techniques with a contemporary flair, evoking a world of serenity and charm in her works
What makes artists’ practice meaningful is their ability to pick themselves up from life’s troubles, learn from experiences, and eventually express them in their work. Fatima Ronquillo, a self-taught painter from New Mexico, knows this better than anyone with her immigrant background. She was born in Pampanga but moved to the United States at the young age of 10.
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“I have battled with not knowing exactly where home is. One lives in two worlds, but for someone who emigrated as a child, one is also an outsider in both worlds,” she says, believing that the element of isolation has informed her art, which is full of solitary figures living in an inner world. “I see the Western classical imagery through the lens of an outsider, and my roots in the Philippines uniquely add to this and create a new visual language.”
Above Fatima Ronquillo
Fatima Ronquillo
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Ronquillo’s art is imaginary but emblematic, with elements surrounding a figure working together to support the main idea. “The symbolism of objects is important to me,” she says. “I do not paint just to paint another painting. There has to be meaning and narrative—a personal creative constraint. Otherwise, it’s just random image-making.”
When she includes a nightingale in a painting, for example, it’s not because she wants to put a bird on it but because it’s the nightingale associated with the Persian poet Hafez, which later inspired the works of Oscar Wilde. “The nightingale and the rose symbolise unrequited tragic love,” she adds. These are examples of symbols and references that ignite the desire in her to create.
Above “Take all my loves my love, yea, take them all”, Fatima Ronquillo, 24 x 20 inches, oil on aluminium panel, 2023
Above “The Blue Hour”, Fatima Ronquillo, 32 x 30 inches, oil on aluminium panel, 2022
“Take all my loves my love, yea, take them all”, Fatima Ronquillo, 24 x 20 inches, oil on aluminium panel, 2023
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As knowledgeable and passionate as she is, however, Ronquillo received no formal education in the arts. Her only formal training was in mural painting during her adolescent years in San Antonio, Texas. She explains, “It was not a perfect match for me because my natural inclination was for the more intimate scale in format and subject matter.” Nevertheless, she was exposed to the life of a working artist and the processes and disciplines involved in art-making.
Ronquillo learned to paint by looking at old master paintings and reading research papers on techniques and materials: “I have a great love for art history and a somewhat magpie-like collector’s mind when it comes to painting imagery. I love many eras, but most especially Rococo. Watteau, Goya, Gainsborough, and the operas of Mozart have been lifelong influences for me.” These artists created a mixture of great fragility, beauty, wistfulness, lightness and darkness.
Above “The Nightingale and the Rose”, Fatima Ronquillo, 9 x 12 inches, oil on aluminium panel, 2023
“The Nightingale and the Rose”, Fatima Ronquillo, 9 x 12 inches, oil on aluminium panel, 2023
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Inspiration is one of the driving forces in creating art. Ideas for paintings begin with desire. To light up that desire, you must explore: to read, to see, to hear, and to feel. Make that idea yours by thinking how that spark is relevant to your life, and tie it to a sense of place rooted in the past or present. These ideas are best shown and depicted in the artist’s debut book, Spellbound, which is a retrospective survey of her works.
“I am currently fascinated by flora and fauna,” Ronquillo starts. “I now live in Santa Fe, New Mexico—a land replete with the beauty of the natural world. In my daily walks, I see hummingbirds, the occasional coyote, and wild plants like the wild sweet peas that line the banks of the Santa Fe River. The wild sweet pea flower and the Sampaguita jasmine have appeared in my paintings, referencing places [both old and new] in my life.”
Above “Borderlands”, Fatima Ronquillo, 41 x 32 inches, oil on aluminium panel, 2022 (Artwork: Fatima Ronquillo)
Above “Archangel with Nile Monitor LIzard”, Fatima Ronquillo, 52 x 40 inches, oil on canvas, 2019
“Borderlands”, Fatima Ronquillo, 41 x 32 inches, oil on aluminium panel, 2022 (Artwork: Fatima Ronquillo)
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There are many literary and symbolic references in Ronquillo’s work. Art enthusiasts who can recognise them may get bonus points, but they do not have to know the references. “What I would like most is for people to connect with them, either by the painting triggering an emotion or memory. They are intimate paintings and need to be seen in that light,” she says. Art is love for the artist and is subjective to the core. “Ambiguity is essential because it allows viewers to glean from their experiences. I never want to be didactic in my paintings. The narrative is merely suggested and is open-ended.” For her, the best paintings allow everyone to use their imagination to complete the story.
Above “Winged Victory Riding a Tiger”, Fatima Ronquillo, 32 x 41 inches, oil on aluminium panel, 2022
“Winged Victory Riding a Tiger”, Fatima Ronquillo, 32 x 41 inches, oil on aluminium panel, 2022
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As of writing, Ronquillo is working on a solo show for August 2024 at the Meyer Gallery in Santa Fe and a February 2026 show at the Dorothy Circus Gallery either in London or Italy—two opportunities for viewers to yet again contribute to the mystery that is her art.
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Angela Nicole Regis Guiral is a digital editor at Tatler Philippines. She studied journalism and has since written features that look closely at how culture, lifestyle and social impact converge, while occasionally wandering into the worlds of style and travel.
