Marie Denise Jean Baptiste

Marie Denise Jean-Baptiste was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. It was in early childhood that she became aware of her special interest in art. Books that were illustrated with reproductions of the great classical and impressionist painters fascinated her. It was not until later that she became more deeply aware of the rich tradition of art of her own native Haiti. At school attending drawing courses she became conscious of her creative imagination and the possibility of having art as part of her life. She caught the attention of her high school drawing teacher, a promising artist who introduced her to academic drawing. She discovered creativity and the world of surrealism; the worlds of imagination and dreams that would be central in her painting. In 2002 Denise enrolled in Grotte des Arts Plastic where she learned to paint with acrylics and oils.

Artists are a reflection of the culture in which they live, and in my work it is natural that I do express elements of the culture of my country. I don’t have any particular stories to tell but I want to start painting all the images that impress me the most plus those images from my subconscious. And as they begin to appear on canvas, they become a story unfolding to tell itself. Painting is for me like a dream, a world in which nothing is ever the same and where our views of reality have no limits. I find inspiration in the awareness of my culture as a Haitian with African ancestry. I mix symbols and meanings from my cultural past with what I continue to sense and absorb in my every day life.

Group exhibition "Foire Haitien de l'Espoir"
Grotte des Arts Plastiques
July 10-13 2005


Group exhibition "exposition de jeunes peintres haitiens''
Grotte des Arts Plastique
september 10 2005


Here and Abroad, international exhibition, Pittsburg. USA
January 2006

Boxheart gallery, Pittburgs, USA
ongoing exhibition.


International Museum of women
Imagine Ourselves project.
April 2006

Au cours d'une exposition collective à la grotte des arts plastiques avec des artistes et des Etudiants. Une partie des tableaux étaient exposés à l'exterieur avec les oeuvres artisinales (bijoux, poterie...)