Romeo “Ronald” Ratio Cortez jr

SPENDING his early years in Lucban, Quezon, Romeo ‘Ronald’ Ratio Cortez Jr. was one of the many Lucbanins who witnessed the cultural and artistic development in his hometown.

As home of the late Oscar Zalameda, art in Lucban is vibrant, if not, very alive in the community, as local artists organized as many art exhibits, especially, during their fiesta, celebrated every second week of May.

At a young age, Ronald first learned to draw rather than to write. Coming from a family with meager income, he never had the luxury of toys to play with, and only had his pencil and paper in grade school, aiding him with his penchant for drawing.

He remembered that his mother, a dressmaker, had plenty of paper bags to put in the finished dresses that she sewed. Ronald used them as his canvas to draw, making the customers extra happy to have his drawings on their paper bags.

In college, he wanted to take up fine arts but his family couldn’t afford it. Thus, his mother persuaded him to take a more marketable course. Abiding with his mother’s request, he took up Bachelor of Science in Marine Transportation in Manila.

While doing his school responsibilities, he used his free time to learn and develop his talent in art. During his free time, he read art books in a bookstore near Avenida Rizal, and visited Museums and Galleries, on weekends, staring at the works of accomplished artists and masters, observing their every stroke, trying to find out the reasons behind every detail and colors manifested in their artworks. Such constant exposure to art has deeply motivated him to aspire to learn the art of painting, should the opportunity to do so, knocked.

As he finally finished the course, Ronald told his mother that since he had successfully done her will, it might be the right time for him to make an appeal to her, to finally follow his passion for painting. With a heart full of courage and determination, Ronald gradually associated himself with local artists in Lucban, hoping to find people in the arts who can guide him in learning the rudiments of painting.

Meeting Mang Loreto Racuya in Manila was one motivating factor for him, to give a more serious consideration of his artistic direction. And as his artistry developed, he started to join art exhibits that granted him enough self-confidence. In the later year of 1990s, he got invited to join the Ugnayang Filipino Art Foundation, Incorporated in Rizal, where he met more friends with the same artistic aspirations, helped provide him wider exposure to his art, and attained recognition of the kind of art style he was passionately pursuing.

In the middle of the year 2000, Ronald got invited as one of the exhibitors of an exhibit at the Philippine Center Gallery in New York. This international exposure had given him the opportunity to visit galleries and museums, thereby enhancing his perception towards the art, and finding great value in being a painter.

In the following year, Ronald secured a job in New York. This privilege provided him more time to stay in America, giving him more opportunity to develop his art with constant visits to museums and galleries, and create linkage to art groups and institutions that facilitate growth with his art practice.

He applied and was granted membership in Pastel Society in America which provided him deeper learnings in pastel painting, got many chances to join competitions, won some of them and gave him opportunities to exhibit his works with the group. The abundance of art materials in America, and the opportunity to have them in his studio, are added factors for him to be deeply motivated and artistically productive.

Before he went to the US, Ronald used to teach Art class in De La Salle Zobel and conduct free art workshops in Quezon during summer. Memorable experiences in his stay in the US would be the visit to the Metropolitan Museum and the MOMA.

He often stares at the works of Rembrandt, and Giovanni Battista Tiepolo. It gave him inspiration and motivation to keep on doing what he loves to do. He spends some of his weekends painting landscapes in Central Park, oftentimes visiting galleries and museums in Manhattan.

Though Ronald is busy with his job, he makes it a point to invest more time in his art and initiate exhibits that propagate his personal advocacy. Exhibits that matter to him are the following: in 2021 – One Man Show entitled, “HOMAGE”, at the Philippine Center, 556 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY U.S.A. in September and One Man Show: “Balik-tanaw”, at Gallery Y at SM Megamall, Mandaluyong City in August of 2016.

He also launched a one man show, “Life in Art”, at SM City Lucena, Mall ATRIUM, in Lucena City in February of 2011. Another one man show, “The Gift of Life”, happened in Galleria de las Islas, Intramuros in July of 2005, One Man Show entitled “Inspired”, at De La Salle Zobel School, Ayala Alabang in November of 2002.

In October 2000, he launched a one man show entitled “In the Last Days”, at British Council ,Taipan Place, Ortigas Center, Mandaluyong City, and another one man show show in the same year entitled: “Glimpse from the Past”, at Galleria de las Islas, Intramuros, Manila. And ib, another exhibit that really mattered to him was his one man show – “Pinsel at Pintura: Handog sa Sentenaryo”, at the Manila Hotel.

With so much passion and dedication to his craft, aided with his deep faith with our Creator, Ronald has won competitions and was accorded recognitions in his quest for artistic relevance. These include First Place in the 4th PPA National Pastel Competition in the Philippines in 2020 and First Place at the Society of Pilipino American Artists (SPAA) Juried Exhibition in New York, NY, USA, in 2019.

He was also a recipient of Winsor and Newton Colart Americas Award at the Hudson Artists of New Jersey Juried Exhibition in Bayonne, New Jersey, USA, in 2007 and “First Prize” at Hudson Artists of New Jersey 52nd Annual Regional Juried Exhibition at Bayonne, New Jersey, USA, in 2005.

He also received an Excellence Award at the Pan American Concerned Citizens Action League, given at Ramada Plaza Hotel in New Jersey, USA, in 2013. Another important recognition that inspired him so much, was his Alagad ng Sining at Hiyas Ng Lalawigan Ng Quezon Award, in Lucena, Quezon.

As one comes face to face with Ronald’s works, one can see minute details of every piece he patiently paints. It reflects a spirit of calmness and resonates a feeling of fulfillment since his work magnifies sincerity and truth. Above all, it mirrors a visual reality as he gives full justice to any subject he has chosen to paint. His painting exhibits a semblance of the artist behind his creative repertoire. In the final term, his art reflects who he is and who he can be in search of his relevance in society.

Though he has been based for several years now in the United States, Ronald still loves to paint subjects that manifest the strong spirit of Filipino culture and heritage like “Isda at Kamatis”, farmers, and family, etc.

And as he continues to paint with maturity, the fruits of his artistry will surely be another good reason for us to be proud of our rich cultural and artistic heritage, as Filipinos.