About El Baker

I'm an Austin-based, self-taught artist. Initially inspired by road trips across Texas, I've painted everything from Big Bend National Park to Austin's beloved Barton Springs Pool. Now, I'm enjoying painting other beautiful regions from the US and making mixed-media collages.

My artistic process is always an experiment. When I paint a landscape, I don't want it to look realistic, like a photo, I want it to convey the warmth of the place or the happy memories. Sometimes I add photo elements to my work or cut up a painting and glue it back together in a mosaic. I work from my home studio, and I'm grateful to have space to make a mess.

I remember a creative childhood filled with outdoor adventures and the freedom to always be making something, whether it was art, a new recipe or starting a garden. I wasn't sure what I wanted to be when I grew up and I decided an outdoor product designer sounded fun.  I earned a BS in Mechanical Engineering from UT-Austin and hoped to design tents, bikes, and more. While in college, I didn't make much art but always had a box of art supplies, just in case. 

After graduating, I worked for a few years in engineering, then a few years in marketing and then happily became a stay-at-home mom when our daughter was born in 2019. During her naps and during COVID, I started creating again. First, I made dioramas out of Amazon boxes I'd been collecting. Then I painted a few small watercolors and eventually found my way to acrylic.

At the time, we lived in Chattanooga, TN and I was homesick for Texas and painted some Austin places and landscapes and shared those on Instagram. The Texas pieces were received well and friends and family encouraged me to sell prints. So that's what I did. I opened my Etsy shop in April 2020 and made my first Etsy sale in June 2020. 

My business has continued to grow since 2020 and my prints are now sold at Anthropologie, Artfully Walls, The Cathedral in Austin, World Market, and more.

I live in South Austin with my husband and our three kids. When I'm not painting, you'll find me exploring parks with my family, going for a jog, baking up a treat, or reading a good book.