Baker Artist Portfolios

I started life in Baltimore, the daughter of an architect. I was quiet and reflective, drawn to the building designs, and beautiful architectural drawings, brought from the office. I loved nature and animals, I read Dr. Seuss books, and I loved to draw. In my early teens I discovered the art of Paul Klee, and found it absorbing, and mystical. Miro and Gorky emerged as I sought other kindred artists. Later, artists such as Charles Burchfield and Emily Carr showed me that landscape can be stylized, charged with energy and meaning. All these and more would become fundamental influences in the artwork I would come to make over time. At 18, I attended art school, Montserrat College of Art, in Beverly, Massachusetts. This was a small experimental studio school founded in 1970 by working artists who had taught in varied Boston art colleges. Their mission was to teach a person how to become and live as a working artist. There, I was very fortunate to study under Paul Scott, who in his younger years was a student of, then a teacher alongside the iconic Hans Hofmann. Paul Scott was a devoted and accomplished abstract painter, he was also a tireless art educator. His classes opened up to me the world of abstract art, the bones of it, the possibilities. I found my creative self with his guidance. Sadly, his mentorship was short-lived but extremely important to the artist I am.

Since then, I have painted, worked many varied jobs, including many years as a self-employed decorative painter. My artworks have been shown and sold extensively through the years.

I live in Sparks, MD with my husband, Jaro Soltis and our wonderful rescue pup, Lelee.