Bento Doing It For The Love of Art

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Art

Monday, 01 August 2011 02:30

By D Francis

Young Antiguan artist Rachel Bento said her interest in art began after a project she completed in the sixth grade. Today, this proud 19 year old shared with Caribarena.com just how proud she is of where she has reached in the industry, and what it has done for her personally.

Bento recalled, “I chose Monet to make a presentation on, ended up really liking his work, and started to do small paintings that mimicked his own. From then on, I kept a few sketchbooks throughout the years and drew every once in a while.”

A career in art was definitely not something she had thought about until she had to take the subject for CXC.

Before then, people liked her sketches, but she never took any of it to heart. With her talent evolved, she expressed the joy that art brings her.

“Now that I'm focussed on art, what I love is the whole process of creating anything from something that was once just a blank, white canvas," she said. "When it comes to painting, I love using acrylic paints because it's quick-drying, unlike oils, and you can usually paint over your mistakes, unlike watercolours.

She likes painting figures the most, because she enjoys the challenge of bringing something to life and making it look real.

Being an artist is somewhat of a risky business, Bento concedes, as few are able to reach financial stability.

“I'm definitely nervous about pursuing art as a career, especially on a small island, but it's something I love to do, so I’m willing to do what I can to make it happen," she said. "As long as my career's focus is art-related, I'm satisfied.”

She is pushing for every school to teach art, or at least expose students to art in some way.

"This applies to every field of study," she said, "because if not, a child could be completely unaware that they have talent or genuine interest in it. My reasoning behind this is that if my primary and secondary schools didn't expose me to art, I would never have taken an interest in it, and would never have known that I had any potential to make it as an artist , or rather I would've exposed myself to it much later."

Without question, Bento said her biggest moment in art so far was when she was given the opportunity to have a solo show, hosted by Joy James from Art at the Ridge.

“I worked all summer on the pieces included, and to see my hard work set up in Sugar Club was a proud night for me. I'm very thankful for that, especially since the turnout was great and gave me good exposure as a young Antiguan artist,” she said.

The exhibition mostly consisted of her paintings and ink drawings.

The impact art has had on Bento is amazing, she said. "When I have music playing and a pencil, pen, or brush in my hand, I forget about what’s going on in my life or what's around me and focus only on what I’m making," the young artist explained.

"It's a great feeling. It helps when I’m frustrated or annoyed with things I can’t help, to just work on a drawing. It’s the ability to control the outcome of a piece in front of me that calms me down."

Bento is pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Arts at the Ontario College of Art & Design University (OCADU) in Toronto.

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