Life as an Artist in Belize

Several years ago, Lili and I moved our entire family from Canada to Belize. In search of more family time and a simpler way of life, we sold our house and many of our belongings, shipping what remained overseas. With two toddlers and two dogs, we took a deep breath and stepped into the abyss, not knowing how the next chapter of our lives would unfold in an unfamiliar part of the world. While we love our new home base—Belize is a country with breathtaking natural beauty and kind, welcoming people—and we don't regret moving, simplicity isn't exactly what we found. 

Becoming an internationally collected artist from a developing country hasn't been easy for Lili. Doing so from anywhere isn’t a simple task, and taking on such a momentous career change as she has revealed many unforeseen challenges. The old adage “you don’t know what you don’t know” rings loud and clear for her. She simply couldn’t have anticipated the unknown challenges of a professional art career in a place like Belize. 

So, with Lili’s permission, I want to share some of the challenges she faces (as I see them) as we put down roots in the wonderful yet challenging and often confusing tropical beachside community we’ve called home.

Challenge #1: Getting Supplies

What’s a Painter Without Paint? 

One of the biggest challenges for being an artist in Belize is access to quality art supplies. Without them, she can’t work her magic. Back in Canada, Lili had access to innumerable suppliers, from large chains like Michael’s (the equivalent to Jerry’s Artarama in the US) to smaller boutique stores like Above Ground in Toronto. Nothing like that exists here in Belize. There are some basic paint supplies at the office supply store in Placencia Village and a similar store in Belmopan (which round trip essentially takes an entire day). But, they are more for the crafts side of the art industry and not what a professional fine artist would use.

Lili’s only option is to order supplies online using the delivery address of a Belizean logistics company in Miami, where they are boxed and loaded into a shipping container and imported into Belize. The process takes 4-6 weeks, depending on how quickly the supply store ships the order and whether it makes it into a container before the doors are sealed. If she misses a cut-off, the supplies must wait at the logistics company’s depot until the next shipment leaves. After such a lengthy process, items are often damaged or missing, with no recourse or process for reclaiming the missing items or receiving a refund. 

Challenge #2: Shipping Paintings to Collectors

Will They Get There? And at What Cost?

Another significant hurdle for the fine artist in Belize is shipping out sold paintings to their rightful owners. While she’s discovered this is possible and has been shipping out paintings for the better part of a year now, it took some time to find the best method and to get over some initial fears and apprehensions—which are warranted. One method for exporting her works is through private postal services like DHL and FedEx. While these companies have reliable and established supply chains and processes, they are very expensive—sending an 8 ½ x 11 manila folder can cost upwards of 125 USD! In lieu of this, she has opted to use the national postal service to keep shipping costs reasonable.

While she’s generally had a good experience with the Belizean postal office—usually driving the packaged paintings to Belmopan, the nation’s capital, to receive optimal service—we have recently encountered problems when using the local branch. Anyone who purchased a painting in her recent drops has probably received an email from a frustrated and embarrassed Lili: the outgoing paintings just sat for weeks before they were processed and sent out. No explanation was provided other than a vague excuse about “not having stickers.” In reality, it's more likely a case of “island time.” FYI: Placencia is a peninsula but is colloquially referred to as an island because life here reflects that of one—everything is shipped in, access to essentials can be limited at times, we are surrounded by water (in three directions), and there is an accepted slower pace to life.

Recently, she has opted to use the local post office because she is getting busy— overwhelmed, really—with publicity opportunities, gallery shows, and demand for paintings and commissions, so making the round trip to Belmopan (which takes a full day as previously mentioned) isn’t practical under the current circumstances. 

Challenge #3: Heat and Humidity

Just a ‘Lil Hot and Bothered

Up until recently, this hasn't been a huge issue, but it's posing a considerable challenge to get paintings out in a timely manner. There are two main seasons in Belize: dry and rainy. This past dry season was very dry, and it extended into an abnormally dry rainy season—at least for the first two-thirds of it. When the rains finally came, they poured, and the country has seen a consistently high volume of precipitation. Don’t get me wrong, we welcome the rains as they break the intense Caribbean heat, fill our cisterns—the main water source for our home is rain catchment—and are great for the local flora, but they create a humid environment in her studio. While she manages it well with the use of fans, the relative humidity increases the dry time of the medium Lili uses: oil paint. She estimates that paintings are taking 2-3x longer to dry under the current conditions. Thankfully, this is a temporary concern as we approach another dry season.

The heat is also a challenge at times, especially during May and August, two of the hottest months in Belize. This year was particularly hot, with record heat countrywide. Temperatures upwards of 45°C (113°F) were common this past year, which makes working in her unairconditioned studio uncomfortable. The only saving grace is that her workspace is concrete and cinderblock, which keeps things cooler. She is also spared from the direct heat of the day with east and north-facing windows that are shaded during noon- 3 pm, the hottest period of the day.

Challenge #4: Studio Pests

Drop-in Guests

Lili has yet to open her studio to the public, but this hasn’t deterred guests from regular pop-ins. Belize is home to exotic creatures and many of them regularly take up residence in her work space. She almost always has the watchful eyes of green geckos monitoring her creative process, motionless on an adjacent wall or on the ceiling, unmoving except for the lick of the lips or the snap of the jaw while capturing prey. While they tend to deposit unpleasant birdlike turds around the window ledges, they are actually a benefit to have around: snatching up an endless buffet of pests like mosquitos and noseeums. The gecko poops are evidence of their determination and unwavering support. 

Come sunset, the biting bugs emerge, but thankfully, this time coincides with the end of her day, so she is never at their mercy for too long. 

Occasionally, Lili will get a monarch butterfly or unique moth to join her in the studio, whose presence often turns into sparks of inspiration or a moment of gratitude for nature’s muses. Juxtaposing the beauty of the butterfly is the fear-inducing scorpion. While we thankfully do not encounter as many as other foreigners we know, they are still a regular fixture in her studio. Lili sounds the alarm, and pest control—yours truly—gets to work on removing the formidable creature. Thankfully, they aren’t too shy and leave you plenty of opportunity to catch them as they remain motionless until otherwise provoked. One must be exacting in their movement, for if you miss or flinch, they are hard to catch when on the run.

As annoying as these pests can be, the raw Belizean nature offers beautiful moments of connection with local fauna. Exotic birds perch in neighbouring trees or on our roof, agoutis and iguanas wander through our yard, hummingbirds hover at our feeders and flowering plants, and we even see the odd croc or two in the canal that borders our backyard. I can't say we were this close to nature back in Canada, and it’s special.

Challenge #5: No Fine Art Scene

It’s International or Nothin’

Caribbean culture, with its vibrant primary and secondary colours, has a significant presence in Belize. Local artists produce a plethora of works, from the painted masks of the Maya and leather drums of the Garinagu (aka Garifuna) to the charming underwater scenes of the peninsula artists; there is no shortage of art to purchase.

As great as it is, much of the work has a tourist industry slant, and the market for fine, abstract art is absent here in Placencia and Belize at large. After a trip to Bacalar, Mexico, nearly a year ago, it became evident that the fine side of the art industry has yet to emerge in Belize as it has there. There is nothing wrong with that per se; it just poses another challenge for someone like Lili, in which that type of art is her proverbial bread and butter. As a result, Lili's modus operandi is international recognition and sales. A lot of her time—admittedly more than she’d like—is spent digitally networking, promoting her work and drops on social media, and updating her website to appeal to her clientele, people like you, the reader, who are interested in the finer things in art. Thanks for reading, by the way. While you’re here, be sure to check out Lili’s collections page. So, for now, the international art scene is where she’ll reside, at least until a modern art scene develops here.  

Challenges Equal Growth, and Growth is Good

Regardless of the inherent challenges of being an international artist in Belize, life is good. Yes, you can't buy adequate art supplies here, but she gets them; it’s frustrating and worrisome to ship finished works out of the country, but she manages to do it; insects and other creatures can be a bother, but they also provide her a source of connection with nature; the heat and humidity increase dry-times but she’s adapting; and it's true that there isn't a fine art scene here but she's found an international one and who knows, maybe her presence here will attract one. 

Despite the challenges, it's all good. Lili chalks most of it up to personal growth, a task to which she is equally devoted. She's learned to stay calm and trust in herself and in the universe—that it has the best in mind for her. And I think that’s a valuable lesson for us all.