ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

Alexandra Baker: Healing Thru Color and History in Self-Taught Painting

artist · 2026-08-19

In 2018, Alexandra Baker, a self-taught artist from San Diego, California, embarked on her creative path, motivated by an intrinsic urge despite lacking formal education. Originally from Memphis, Tennessee, and having resided in both Vermont and Italy, the 2SLGBTQIA+ creator employs Healing Thru Color to convey emotional shifts through vibrant hues. Her first painting sold, 7 Directions, was inspired by a classmate who faced bullying and remains her most sought-after print. Baker's monumental piece, Red Earth, addresses the issues of Native American genocide and slavery, while Red Waters portrays the Atlantic Ocean as a graveyard beneath the waves. Influenced by music, she invites viewers to connect with her art for shared healing and aspires to participate in an artist residency by the water to delve into marine subjects.

Key facts

  • Alexandra Baker began painting in 2018 in San Diego, California, despite no formal training.
  • She is a self-taught 2SLGBTQIA+ painter raised in Memphis, Tennessee, with time spent in Vermont and Italy.
  • Her artistic philosophy is called Healing Thru Color.
  • Her first sold painting, 7 Directions (originally Grief Relief), honors a young gay woman bullied to death and remains her most popular print.
  • Red Earth, her first large-scale work sold, measures 48 by 60 inches and uses water, acrylic, and spray paint to address Native American genocide and American slavery.
  • Red Waters was inspired by a dream and portrays the Atlantic Ocean as the world's largest underwater cemetery with mermaids welcoming the dead from the Transatlantic Slave Trade.
  • Music influences the emotional rhythm of her studio practice.
  • Baker plans to pursue a waterfront artist residency to continue exploring aquatic themes.

Entities

Artists

  • Alexandra Baker

Locations

  • San Diego
  • California
  • United States
  • Memphis
  • Tennessee
  • Vermont
  • Italy
  • Atlantic Ocean

Sources