5 hours ago
4
Reporter
As artificial intelligence-generated art becomes increasingly difficult to distinguish from human-made work, the time and effort behind a piece of traditional art can be easy to overlook. For artist Sarah Belle-Smythe, capturing the intricate details of her work can take hours, sometimes even days.
“A lot of energy and work are put into my art. I used to have an attachment to my pieces because it’s like I lose a piece of me when I sell it,” she said.
The time and attention Belle-Smythe puts into her work have resulted in some of her pieces being compared to AI-generated art.
“Right now, I’m doing a mural in El Dorado Secondary East and when people see that one, they say it’s kind of like AI,” Belle-Smythe noted.
While AI-generated art continues to raise questions about the role of human creativity, Belle-Smythe believes there is something technology cannot quite replicate.
“I don’t think anything could ever replace a human touch. Even if it looks exactly like what the artists would do, I think anybody would prefer one done by a human. Somehow you’re able to feel it, not just see it. Even with AI music, when I hear AI music, it doesn’t touch you the way a natural voice would,” she shared.
Beyond visual art, Belle-Smythe also has a passion for music and singing, giving her another creative outlet through which to express herself.
But long before her work drew comparisons to AI, Belle-Smythe’s love for art began in childhood. The now 41-year-old Tunapuna resident said she would often spend her time colouring.
“I can remember one particular instance where I was colouring on the ironing board, and I had to reach for the colours, and I burned my hand. Up to this day, the burn mark is still on my hand,” she recalled.
Belle-Smythe did not allow the incident to deter her from colouring. In fact, her interest in art began to develop so quickly that her uncle, who was an artist, made a gesture during her teenage years that would help shape her artistic journey.
“He would use acrylics and sometimes even coffee, but he had a set of oil paints, and he thought it was difficult to use. So, he decided to give it to me to try. I had never used paints or anything like that up until that age, and when I started to use it, he was really surprised at what I did with it. At that time, I was painting from my imagination, and I did two or three little paintings, and he was so shocked. From that experience of using paint for the first time, I realised I really loved it,” Belle-Smythe said.
Her uncle, Cyril Pereira, passed away in 2022, but he remains a great source of inspiration to her.
From then on, Belle-Smythe’s artistic skills began to develop further. One experience that helped her hone her skills was discovering a picture in National Geographic that she wanted to recreate.
“I just stayed up the entire night painting the whole thing. When people started seeing the paintings, they told me they wanted them, so I started selling. But I actually still have that painting today, because it was the first time I learnt the secret to mixing the paint properly, so it is very special to me,” she recalled.
With no formal training in art, Belle-Smythe admitted that much of her progress came through trial and error. She said her faith and the support of those around her also played an important role in her journey.
“God really helped me as well. In the moments when I felt stuck and frustrated while trying to get my pieces right, I prayed. Also, the people around me who noticed my God-given talent were always very supportive, which has been a great encouragement to me on my art journey,” Belle-Smythe said.
Eventually, she opened Bellexpressions Art Studio in 2005. Since then, she has produced paintings and pencil drawings of landscapes and portraits of people. Most recently, she began creating pet portraits.
Her art studio is currently based at home, but she hopes to open her own art gallery and storefront in the near future.
As she looks ahead to expanding her artistic journey, Belle-Smythe encouraged younger artists to remain committed to their craft and learn from their mistakes.
“Keep practising, because that’s the only way you could get better at what you’re doing, especially if you love it. When I look back at some of my art, I actually have a little greeting card I made for my mother when I was around six or seven years old. From then to now, you could see the vast improvement. So, anybody who loves art, just keep practising,” she said.
English (US) ·