Daisy Ann G. Cumming showed me around the paintings located at Studio 7 in Sydney's CBD. I couldn't say "displayed" or "hung" since some of the paintings are stacked one behind the other positioned upright on their frame from the floor.

I made a mental count of those paintings, and thought there were about fifty or so in various sizes and subjects in that studio. Some bear the signature of other artists.

"You know," Daisy Ann said, "only few of our kababayans here in Australia know that I'm an artist. They see me as an art dealer, an entrepreneur, a businesswoman, an impresario. But never as an artist. Siguro, because of the promotions I've done for other talents. But as an artist? I don't think they see me as such. And that is very frustrating. Because, this is my life..."

Why only few know Daisy Ann as an artist is also perhaps due to the genre of audience that she has promoted her works. And what or who is her audience?

Judging from a profile of herself as an artist, which she handed to me, I didn't bother to ask her.

I already knew the answer. Her works, especially portraits, find their way in the homes and private collections of non-Filipino art dealers.

Over the last 20 years, Daisy Ann's works have been shown in art exhibitions in the United States and Great Britain. In Australia, her works were on display at the Sixth Oyster Festival at Great Lakes (1987), Bondi Beach Art Gallery (1996), and Art for a Cause in aid of the Sydney Children's Hospital Foundation (1996) to mention a few.

Among the many art exhibitions that Daisy An had over many years, the one at the Corbarlly Stourton Contemporary Art Gallery in Cork Street, London stands out most. With good reason. The Corbarlly gallery is one of the most prestigious streets of galleries in London. And Daisy Ann's is the first exhibition by a Philippine born artist.

The play of vivid and solid colours is one aspect of Daisy Ann's works that attract the viewer. Daisy Ann must have guessed what I was thinking. "My works are deeply personal. I like to think that they are expressions of my own life's journey, and my emotions and thoughts." she explained.

The "Woman with Lotus" hunging at that time at Studio 7. Does it convey any message, I wonder. The painting (priced A$35,000) is just filled with so much passion and intensity. And the painting even without its frame is literally "larger than life." It measures 4'x6' in my calculation.

I've learned in college not to put messages in artworks. The artworks are the artists' representation of their subjects. No more. No less. But seeing the imposing "Woman with Lotus," I couldn't resist the temptation. I know I'm no expert in arts, but I think I still remember my Art Appreciation lessons.

Remembering what she told me earlier on promoting other artists, I instead asked her; "How do you plan to use your artworks to promote other artists?"

To which, without any affectation, she said: "Through my works, I want to project our rich Filipino heritage and imbued spirituality on canvass."

Filipino heritage? I thought I've heard that repeated on several occasions by many Filipinos. Everyone is using that phrase to advance their causes.

But Daisy Ann's use of "Filipino heritage" is not pretentious. After all, the "G" in her name stands for "Gonzales." She want to carry the tradition and push beyond traditional art confines, the mastery of her father, the famous Filipino portraitist Felix Gonzales, Snr. whose works for many years have adorned the interiors of the famous Manila Hotel.

Spirituality? Talking with Daisy Ann, one gets the impression of some who has found inner peace and joy in what she does. She believes her talents are God-given and the blessings that generate from those talents should be returned to His greater glory. She encapsulates this sense of spirituality in her personal prayer:

27 May 2000