21-Year-Old Artist Encourages Belizeans to Pursue Their Passions

From a young age, kids are encouraged to express themselves and dream big, believing they can become anything they set their minds to. While many spend their whole lives searching for their passion, twenty-one-year-old artist Samir Habet has already found his. In today’s episode of Belize on Reel, we visit the Belmopan-born and raised painter in his home studio to hear how he discovered his love for art. Here’s News Five’s Britney Gordon with the story.

 

Britney Gordon, Reporting

Two years back, Samir Habet dusted off his old paintbrush, eager to find a fresh way to channel his creativity. He decided to give painting a shot, and from that moment on, he’s been hooked. Now, you can hardly pry the brush from his hands!

 

Samir Habet, Artist

“I don’t know if it’s healthy, but it’s an obsession, I guess every free time, I don’t really have free time because all of it gets consumed by painting. So it’s really about sacrificing, I guess.”

 

The twenty-one-year-old artist is entirely self-taught, using YouTube videos and online references to learn new skills and techniques. He shares that a lot of his artistic flair actually stems from his graphic design background.

 

Samir Habet

“I started off in graphic design. I watched a YouTube video on graphic design and I was very intrigued by it. So I started, and I found out that I was good at it, and that just kind of made me more, you know, obsessed with it. I wanted to get better and at a certain point I felt limited by searching for pictures on the internet. So I kind of wanted to do my own thing and  could be able to do any, anything from scratch, and that’s how I got into painting..”

 

Habet estimates that he’s painted about thirty pieces over the past two years. Depending on its complexity, a single piece can take him up to a month to complete.

 

Samir Habet

“My art style right now is just experimenting. It’s street art, realism, anything that I feel could give a sense of what I’m trying to express, what medium works best.”

 

He finds inspiration in his everyday experiences, blending them with influences from artists like Jean Michel Basquiat. His work is known for its raw, gestural style and its blend of text and imagery. Basquiat’s art often explored themes of race, identity, and social issues, drawing from his experiences as a Black artist. Lately, Habet has been diving into bigger projects, and he’s excited to reveal them at his upcoming art show.

 

Samir Habet

“This painting is them nailing Jesus on the cross. And this is a part of a bigger project that I’m working on of the stations that, and the journey that Jesus took to dying on the cross. What went into this was a lot of time and, I don’t know, just  trying to give a good idea or historical representation of what happened. Even though I wasn’t there, but I tried my best.”

 

Every corner of Habet’s bedroom is occupied by paintings and art supplies, as it doubles as his studio. He walked us through his favorite mediums to paint with.

 

Samir Habet

“I have my brushes here. Some of them are from out of district, but most of them you can find at Stationary House in Belize City.  I have mostly acrylic paint. All of them are acrylic paint. I don’t know how to use oil paint. I find acrylic is just more convenient and it holds up to everything that I want to do.”

 

One of the standout pieces in his collection is called ‘Colour My Life’. It beautifully depicts two people stepping into a vibrant world after seeing life in dull shades. Habet first painted this piece a year ago and finished a second version earlier this year. Every time he looks at it, he’s reminded of how far he’s come.

 

Samir Habet

“This one was something that I felt a year ago and I was trying my hardest to express what it is that I had in my mind. And I really couldn’t, I didn’t have the technical ability even though I had the idea. And a year later, I was able to create something more close to what I had in my mind. So it was a really nice experience see how far I came in that year.”

 

No matter their background or skill level, Habet encourages all Belizeans to pursue their passions and let their creativity thrive.

 

Samir Habet

“I think that you just really need to want it.  If you want it, you will seek it out and you will find it.  And it’s, you don’t have to create anything extraordinary. It’s just whatever is in you, you can use art in a way to express that. And that is  beautiful regardless of how the painting looks.”

Habet is gearing up for his first solo exhibition in March 2025, where he’ll finally get to showcase his art. In the meantime, anyone interested in his work can connect with him on Instagram. Britney Gordon for News Five.