Doing justice with the colors

Atty. Ritzel Polinar is not your typical lawyer who lives solely for the cases and the court. This woman also seeks to do justice even with the colors of nature and its beautiful realities through her paintings.

On typical weekdays, Ritzel may be all over the courts but then she always finds a way to take a detour to painting as her way of relieving the stress from her daily grind. Her mediums are both acrylic and watercolor but she confesses, “While I like working with acrylic, I am more fascinated with watercolor. The element of surprise always takes me home to this gesture of spontaneity. Working with watercolor always feels like I’m in the middle of accidents – and yet, they are the sorts of planned accidents! It’ a breath of fresh air from my world as a lawyer where I always need to be structured and planned.”

Ritzel’s confession of her leaning towards watercolor manifests in her works even when she is using acrylic which give out soft pastel hues to her mix of impressionist and realist depictions. Furthermore, Ritzel regards her work with art as a spiritual expression. “I feel that I am one with all that is beautiful when I am painting. It’s as if time stands still and I am giving all of me but I’m also gaining back all of me.”

Seeking to do justice with the colors and the brush, Ritzel gives highest regard to the works of the Creator, “I am always in awe with how the Creator gives form and beauty to everything and everyone. Every human being is beautiful and I cannot help but feel fascinated with the works of the Divine! I long to depict them in my own strokes of the brush and even with the way I live life.”

“I have painted portraits of people from all walks of life, from a street vendor to a Supreme Court judge. I have also worked with images of gardens, lakes, and the streets. Art is my respite and healing. Painting on weekends sustains me through the whole work week.”

It is said that art, especially watercolor is highly therapeutic; with water as the healer for our life forces and the colors as the relief of the soul. Ritzel’s relationship with art undoubtedly nourishes her wellbeing, making her the resilient person that she is. “While things in the world may be challenging and difficult, I always believe that paying more attention to life’s inherent beautywill allow us to persevere through challenges and to surpass difficult circumstances.”