Patarata,

When Corazon Gaufo Patarata retired from the Philippine foreign service after 17 years as a career diplomat, she felt that she had already lived a full life. Through wars and evacuations and other crises, she had “spent a lifetime’s worth of energies” on the job; now, it was time to pursue her lifelong dream of painting and writing.

A self-taught artist, Cora embraces a colorful impressionist style for an eclectic range of subjects ranging from landscapes and flowers to marine life, birds, heavenly bodies, and angels. She prefers to work mostly with acrylics on canvas and watercolors or oil pastels on paper. Poet and journalist Elizabeth Lolarga, who wrote two articles about Cora's art for verafiles.org (an independent, nonprofit media news site), called Cora’s style “naif”—a simple and unconventional art that encapsulates the self-taught style.

A member of the ARTipolo Group since 2015, Cora has participated in about 80 of the group's exhibits, including its collaborations with Tam-awan Artist Village, Freedom Art Society, Manila Art, Art in the Park, and The Blanco Art Gallery.

Retired career diplomat Cora finds a new career as a self-taught artist and travel chronicler.

Corazon Gaufo