KENNIS BAPTISTE

Throughout his childhood Kennis Baptiste was told that he had some artistic talent, but he never bothered to take it seriously.  Instead of traveling the road of an artist, Baptiste decided to concentrate on scientific disciplines such as math and science. He later obtained a degree in Electrical Engineering and is currently working in that field.

While pursuing his degree he experimented and created his first painting, which was a portrait of Bob Marley.  He was amazed by the results, but with the added pressures of school he placed the painting aside and considered it another decorative item in his room. Six years later he noticed that the wall in his apartment was empty except for that Bob Marley painting.  A few of his friends saw this painting and recommended that he should continue pursuing this talent.  This was the turning point in his career as an artist.  From that point on, he decided to cover his naked wall with some new, original paintings.

Baptiste started his artistic journey by experimenting with acrylic and oil paints. He had no idea that he could produce such work without practicing or having prior art education. Most of his initial works were figurative portraiture studies. He later started to study and experiment with different abstract ways of capturing movement and energy.  During his experimental period, Baptiste was able to find his own unique style of expression. 

As his art form slowly evolved, the quality of his paintings improved and his knowledge and interest in fine arts also increased. As an urban artist of African and Caribbean decent, Baptiste believes that inspiration can be found almost anywhere.  All one has to do is open their eyes, keep an open mind and draw their inspiration from what they see in their community and in the world.

Baptiste is inspired by the works of Impressionist painters such as Picasso, Monet, and Matisse.  He greatly admires Picasso’s style of expression, Monet’s use of mass, and Cézanne's use of color. After producing a large number of paintings, Baptiste decided to expose his work to the public.  The feedback that he received was overwhelming. The response from the audience and the realization of this gift inspired him to study and create more paintings. 

Baptiste’s work is also influenced by mentors, friends and fellow artists in the fine arts community.  As Baptiste feels that knowledge is the key to success, he  will continuing to educate himself as he travels on his artistic journey.