Saint Lucia boasts a plethora of artists, whose creative skills make them irreplaceable gems on this 238 square mile tropical paradise.
Let’s get to know one of our precious jewels…
Daniel Gabriel Angelo Jean-Baptiste was born on the Caribbean Island of Saint Lucia, in 1963, to parents of Dutch Jewish and African Carib descent.
Jean-Baptiste childhood experience was that of a tiny one street Village of Choiseul, under the shadow of the towering Gros Piton. Spare time was spent fishing off the village’s long wooden jetty, which gave Jean-Baptiste first glimpses of the colourful creatures that inhabited the Caribbean Sea. The plants and fish that intrigued the young boy would later dominate his art. Childhood days were sweet, sweet as perfumed breezes of Saint Lucia.
In 1978 he moved to Canada where he was introduced to silk painting during his eight years working with a commercial art for Display Arts of Toronto. In 1988 Jean-Baptiste began his own display company, Cobalt Illustrations, producing hand painted silk banners for shopping centres and real estate developers across Canada.
In 1995 Jean-Baptiste moved back to St. Lucia with his wife and two children. His work reflecting the beauty of the island’s fish and flowers. Jean-Baptiste focuses in on his subject, magnifying its beauty and vibrant colour. The translucency of his work allows sight to further enhance the silk’s natural luster. He is the originator of the shimmer light water technique.
Today he resides and paints out of his studios in Canada and St. Lucia.
Click here to see the creation of one of Daniel’s pieces.