ART & CULTURE
SHIMMERING LIGHT WATER TECHNIQUE
DANIEL JEAN-BAPTISTE
Highly regarded as the founder of the “Shimmering Light Water Tech-
nique” and a leading silk artist, his discovery was made in a situation
that could have been regarded as “complete disaster!” Born Daniel
Gabriel Angelo Jean-Baptiste is a resident of Canada with a beautiful estate in the community of Choiseul in Saint Lucia which is home
to his art gallery. We interviewed Daniel to learn more about the man
behind these intensely colourful paintings that reflect the vibrance,
light and energy of our Caribbean region.
SL: Daniel it is such a pleasure to meet the man behind these beautiful
Caribbean creations. Tell us a little about growing up on Saint Lucia?:
DJ: I was born in the town of Choiseul. My mother was from Holland
and my father a native of Saint Lucia from Soufriere. I attended the
Saint Dominic Savio Boys School in Soufriere. Learning came easily
but I always grew bored with what seemed a slow pace and repetitive teaching style of academics in early rural schooling in St. Lucia,
disinterested I never studied or reviewed and only qualified to attend an agricultural school in Corinth. My family had by then moved
to Rodney Bay and I realized I would be going no where fast if I continued to attend this school. One day, at the age of 11 years, on my
own I walked up to the Saint Mary’s College (Saint Lucia’s number
one high school), and asked the principal whether I could attend
his school. He said to me “It doesn’t work that way”. After I persisted,
he was impressed with my negotiating skills and decided to let me
32
attend. This I think was my first lesson on “You don’t have to play by
all the rules”
SL: At what point did you start painting?
DJ: Growing up in a rural town in the 1960s-1970s with no television
or Internet, my mother used to let us sketch with pencils and pens to
keep us occupied. It wasn’t until I moved to Rodney Bay in the 1970s
at the age of 9 years that I started painting plien air water colours
on Reduit Beach and became acquainted with the work of local
artist Dunstan St. Omer (One of Saint Lucia’s greatest artist and the
designer of the Saint Lucia flag). I really fell in love with his work, particularly a mural he had painted at a hotel entrance on Vigie beach.
While liking his work, I felt a deep sense to express my individuality in
my work. With no formal training I painted and started to attract the
attention of people visiting the Holiday Inn in St. Lucia, they would
approach with interest as I painted under the sun, the beautiful image of Reduit Beach with Pigeon Island in the background. I would
start a piece and before I could finish it would be sold.
SL: What led you to the use of silk as a medium for your work?
DJ: In 1980 I enrolled and attended a fine art course at Ontario College of Art. I wanted to grow as an artist, but after a week it became
clear to me that this was not for me.