As her steady hand grips the brush, junior Carly Smith immerses herself in her next masterpiece. For many, it takes years to master the basics of art with a teacher, but with years of tutorials, self-devotion, and creative opportunity, she was able to learn without any art classes.

Since she was young, Smith has valued the precision and effort put into creating art, but more importantly, the different mediums that follow with the skillfully crafted pieces.

“I have always had a passion for drawing and visualizing things in general. Painting just came naturally after that,” Smith said. “I like how tedious it can be. I like the way I can listen to my music and work on a detailed piece of art and be happy with my results. And if I am not happy with it, I can just paint over it.”

Gallery • 4 Photos

Smith shares her painted portrait of a Koi fish pond.

As an independent learner, her commitment to painting and drawing is solely based on creating pieces with realistic or peculiar styles. The process of recreation in the technique is what fueled her desire to make a work of art.

“Most of the inspiration comes from Pinterest,” Smith said. “I love it a lot and it is the main source of my inspiration.” 

Even with her years of experience, Smith stays open-minded when exploring her identity through diverse art materials and techniques.

“Carly has been creating for as long as I’ve known her,” junior Angel Yerdaw said. “I have received some of her art pieces, even if they were drawings or doodles. They are fun, expressive ways she goes about creating her personal self-image. She has a very creative mind.”

As a mixed-media artist, Smith designs clothes in her fashion program as another medium of creative expression to her traits and passions.

“Art pieces of Carly’s I’m most proud of are her fashion clothes designs. They’re all so unique and diverse, and she always has her own twist to her outfit,” Yerdaw said. “Her art style is unique and very keen to her personality and interests.”

Although she chose not to take painting and drawing classes, Smith instead takes pride in self-directed learning.

“I have never had a huge art project for any class that isn’t the basics,” Smith said. ”I have done some drawings for fashion, but it does not take long to do. ” 

Despite her non-traditional journey of becoming an artist, Smith still flourishes with creativity. Her commitment to continual growth in both painting and drawing mediums helps her work towards a lasting artistic pursuit.

“Over the years I think my drawing skills have improved more just because I do it more,” Smith said, “Painting takes a long time and a lot of money that I don’t have. I don’t want to waste paint if I don’t know what I’m doing. There is still so much more room for improvement though and I am willing to get better with every chance that I get, and every chance I want to get.”