We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Sarah Lew. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Sarah below.
Sarah, appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?
As an artist, I’d say each piece of work is meaningful, the reason behind each project, each painting, is always what makes you keep doing what you do. I honestly cannot pick one project as the most meaningful project. Each time I paint a pet that has passed away, I feel the pain, I feel the emotion, I feel the love; sometimes when the owner receives the painting, they would send me a heartfelt email expressing how special and healing the painting is for them. THAT, is what makes this project meaningful – using my art to remind them how much their pet was loved, and the happy memories they created together.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
When I was in college, I did not know what career path I wanted to pursue. Somehow I went with a graphic design degree; while my designer friends were all into the newest technology like web design, animation, video editing, I chose to take art history classes, painting, drawing, technical illustration, interior illustration.. I knew I didn’t like being a designer, I wanted to be a fine artist. Today, I am both a graphic designer, and a fine artist. I have my day job as a graphic designer, and after work and on the weekends, I’m always painting, teaching workshops, or attending workshops to learn new painting techniques.
There was a time I struggled to find an identity as an artist. I didn’t know what theme I wanted to paint, what style I wanted to paint with, until one day when I was in a painting class, worrying about my first dog Siu Gut who got sick, I painted her. That was my first pet portrait painted. The was the moment I realized what I wanted to paint. And the rest, is history!
What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?
One question that is asked frequently in the recent years is that if AI is replacing traditional artists. It is very important for the society to understand the value of hand-painted art vs. art generated by AI, and appreciate an artist’s hard work on a painting. Understandably AI can produce some beautiful artworks within seconds, or even without costing a dime. You can upload a picture of your dog and turn it into a flying astronaut in the moon, or a prestige portrait in a royalty outfit. On the other hand, to paint a painting like this will require the artist time to research and gather pictures, or setup proper lighting to take their own photographs, then spend days, weeks, even months to accomplish the same outcome. However, artists paint with not only their hands, but their hearts too. Each brush stroke is infused with an artist’s style and personality, each dab of paint expresses emotion and adds a personal touch to the painting. Each painting carries a bit of the artist’s soul, which cannot be replaced by AI generated art. AI can be a very useful tool for anyone, but society needs to understand creative work involves human’s emotions, not just data and intelligence.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
When I do a commissioned painting, the most rewarding aspect is when the recipient shares their emotion with me while they see the painting. Sometimes it’s pure joy, sometime it’s bittersweet. Their kind words of how much they appreciate the artwork is what keeps me going. And when I teach a workshop, the most rewarding moment is when everyone looks at their finished painting with a smile on their face.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.etsy.com/shop/PaintMyBuddy
- Instagram: paintmybuddy