Alex Baptise

Alix Baptiste was born on April 29, 1964, on a small island in Haiti. Mr. Baptiste has come a long way since his early days of survival. Mr. Baptiste is now a household name for his beautiful paintings in Savannah, Georgia. Entering his twentieth year as an artist, he owns an art gallery in City Market. There you can watch him at work though the front of his art gallery window’s to see what’s in store for his next project.

During Alix Baptiste’s childhood he had little schooling do to the lack of the families financial state. Mr. Batiste says, “ I could remember when I would go to the field’s and picked mangoes and coconuts, then take them to the city to sell for food and what school supplies I needed”. When Alix Baptiste become older he became an advent sailor, sailing to partner islands trading and selling what he could to make ends meet (Rada, “Southern Living” pg.24-26).

At the age of 21, Mr. Baptiste wanted to make something better of his life. “I wanted to survive, I wanted to be something and make a better of life”, stated Mr. Baptiste. In early 1984 Alix embarked on a trip that would change the course of his life forever. He spent fifteen days on the Atlantic Ocean without any friends or family, just people exactly like him, trying to find a better life. On their journey through the Atlantic, many others did not survive and died of hunger, thirst, and dehydration. As his sea voyage came to an end he had reached The Turks & Caicos islands, where he worked on a freighter, arranging passages in return for a deal to enter the ports of the United States (Rada, “Southern Living” pg.24-26). Alix’s changes came a few years later when he afforded a deal including cash that would take him to the United States. The journey, Mr. Baptiste recalls, lasted about three to four days long hiding in the bottom of the cargo ship. Eventually, Mr. Baptiste found himself in the ports of Miami.

With only a little cash to his name, Alix Baptiste secured a one-way ticket to Savannah, where he was told his father might live. “It was a chance I was going to have to take and I think it was the best decision of my life.” After arriving in Savannah, Alix made contacts in hope of finding his father. After finding his estranged father who was re-married, a new life for Alix would begin.

Re-united with his father, Mr. Baptiste’s stepmother took him to the local River Street Festival that is held every year. Mr. Baptiste stated “he and his stepmother were walking down River Street when he saw a local street vendor’s painting and told his stepmother he could do that”. Despite the lack of any form of art training, Alix’s stepmother brought him fifty dollars worth of art supplies and the self-taught artist went to work painting canvases that would sell the for two-hundred and fifty dollar’s per piece (Rada, “Southern Living” pg.24-26).

. The income and revenue produced from the paintings were invested into more supplies. Two weeks later, Alix produced ten more pieces that he took downtown to River Street and sold less than three hours.

At the age of twenty-four Alix realized his passion and love for painting. Painting began as a means for survival eventually leading Alix through a world of inspirations, passions, and love by expressing himself, and his country’s artwork.

As Mr. Baptiste continued painting as a street vendor, one thing led to another. Alix received a phone call from an older man who had followed him and his artwork. The man began telling Mr. Baptiste that it would be a wise decision to move in-doors, but in a way he could advertise is artwork. The man stated that moving to City Market would be his best option. After taking that advice more than twenty years ago and becoming the first premiere artist in City Market, many pedestrians can still view Mr. Baptiste working on his next big project through the windows of 307 West St. Julian Street in the heart of City Market.

Over the years Alix Baptiste has accomplished many goals in his life