Talent et Passion – Season 2 Episode 3 | Doris Jean-Baptiste, an Inspiring Multidisciplinary Artist

Transforming a personal hardship into a source of creation and sharing. This is the journey of Doris Jean-Baptiste, a multidisciplinary artist who uses painting, materials, and abstract art to express her emotions, convey a message of hope, and create human connections.

As a guest on the program Talent et Passion, hosted by Sacha Doama, Doris Jean-Baptiste shared her artistic journey, marked by the loss of her mother during the earthquake that struck Haiti on January 12, 2010, but also by a deep desire to transform this suffering into a creative force.

“I am Doris Jean-Baptiste. I immigrated to Quebec in 2002. I am the mother of two young daughters. I work full-time and I also practice my art,” she explained while presenting her background.

Beyond painting on canvas, Doris has developed a rich and diverse artistic universe. She works with different mediums, including fabric, glass, resin, plaster, and various materials used in handmade creations.

“First and foremost, I am a visual artist. I paint on canvases and I also paint on fabric. Afterwards, I got into crafts. I paint on fabric bags, on glass bottles, I make resin earrings and bracelets,” she described.

Painting as a Refuge After Grief

Doris’ artistic journey began during a particularly difficult period of her life. After losing her mother in the earthquake in Haiti, she turned to painting as a way to express what words could not always communicate.

“It started with grief unfortunately, but at the same time, it also developed something else. I lost my mother in an earthquake in Haiti on January 12, and I started painting with acrylics to express my emotions,” she shared.

For her, art became a space for inner release.

“It was an outlet for me,” she stated.

This artistic process gradually led her to explore new forms of creation. From a simple canvas, she moved toward different materials, constantly searching for new ways to express herself.

Abstract Art to Express the Invisible

Doris became particularly drawn to abstract art, a form of expression that allows her to communicate emotions without being limited by traditional representations of objects or people.

She explains that unlike figurative art, where an image can be immediately identified, abstraction leaves more room for personal interpretation.

“Abstract art, above all, is everything that is not figurative. If you draw a bird, as soon as you see the canvas, you know it is a bird. Whereas with abstract art, the person can feel something,” she explained.

For Doris, this artistic freedom was essential in her healing process.

“Grief had imprisoned me so much that I wanted to free myself and express myself. By using abstraction, I didn’t worry about mistakes, dimensions, or all those things. I let myself be guided by colors, splashes, and shapes,” she explained.

Strong colors became a way to bring light back into a dark period.

“To keep myself alive, I needed to use strong colors to wake myself up, so that they could bring me joy,” she added.

The Colors of Haiti at the Heart of Her Creations

Doris’ Haitian identity also holds an important place in her work. Through her creations, she keeps alive the colors and landscapes of her country of origin.

“It is by using vibrant colors like red, orange, green, and sometimes blue. That is what reminds me of Haiti,” she explained.

She connects this richness of colors to her childhood environment, where colors are everywhere in nature, transportation, and artistic expressions.

“In Haiti, because of nature, we have all kinds of colors. The tap-taps are colorful, very, very colorful. We are always surrounded by color,” she emphasized.

According to her, this deep connection with colors comes from an environment where art is present every day.

“I think it comes from nature. There is the sun, all kinds of colors, flowers, plants. I think that is where it comes from,” she said.

From Personal Healing to a Mission of Helping Others

Doris Jean-Baptiste’s artistic journey did not remain limited to her own experience. Her desire to share what she had discovered led her to Rwanda, where she organized artistic workshops with women who experienced the consequences of the genocide against the Tutsi.

This initiative was born from a connection she felt between her own story and that of survivors.

“I was not able to bury my mother. And these women, they also were not able to bury their loved ones. So I told myself that I needed to share this passion with them, to give them a moment of relief, so that it could be therapeutic,” she explained.

Through her network and the relationships she built over time, her project was able to become a reality.

“The power of networking and word of mouth,” she summarized when describing how she managed to organize her workshops.

During her stay, she met women whose resilience deeply impacted her.

“What marked me the most was the suffering of these women, but also their lack of self-esteem. I went there to share my passion, to bring a little joy, but I returned to Canada with another perspective because these women inspired me,” she shared.

She also carries with her an important lesson about forgiveness and rebuilding.

“I realized that it is possible to forgive,” she affirmed.

Art as a Tool for Connection and Balance

For Doris Jean-Baptiste, art goes far beyond creating objects. It becomes a way to bring people together, fight isolation, and promote well-being.

“I think it is very therapeutic. It helps create connections and it breaks isolation,” she stated.

She believes art could even have a place in professional environments, particularly through collective activities.

“A collective painting exercise is an activity that could bring employees closer together,” she explained.

In her own life, art represents an essential balance.

“In my life, it is my oxygen,” she shared.

Creating allows her to reconnect with freedom and a sense of inner youth.

“When I create, I feel like a child. It helps me stay balanced,” she added.

A Work That Keeps Her Mother’s Memory Alive

At the end of the interview, Doris shared a message dedicated to her mother, whose memory continues to influence every one of her creations.

“She continues to live through my creations because my mother was someone who was very joyful and very social. She loved people, she loved life,” she said.

Today, she sees her art as a permanent tribute.

“I stopped crying, and now I continue to live through my creations. She also lives through me because everything I do is in honor of her,” she concluded.

Through her work, Doris Jean-Baptiste demonstrates that art can become a universal language: the language of resilience, memory, and transformation. A way of turning the wounds of the past into colors capable of touching others.

https://youtu.be/dCjDn32zvkc