The Baker Legacy
The Pioneer: Hezekiah Baker Sr. (1940–2007)
Before he was a Hall of Fame artist, Hezekiah Baker Sr. was a man of vision, determination, and quiet strength. As one of the original 26 Florida Highwaymen, he defied the barriers of the Jim Crow era using nothing but raw talent, oil paint, and Upson board. He was an entrepreneur who refused to let the world dictate his boundaries, driving up and down Route 1 to share his vision of paradise with the world. His paintings were unique—characterized by a striking, gentle peace, magnificent palms, and skies that seemed to radiate actual Florida heat. But his greatest masterpiece wasn't just the art he left behind on canvas; it was the blueprint of hard work, integrity, and creative passion he passed down to his family. This website, and every stroke of the brush that continues in his name, is dedicated to his enduring memory and monumental impact on American art history.
Hezekiah Baker Jr.: A Second-Generation Legacy Defined by Devotion
Growing up in Florida, Hezekiah Baker Jr. was surrounded by the historic beauty of the old marshlands both inside and outside his home. He was raised watching the legendary hands of his father, Hezekiah Baker Sr.—one of the original 26 Hall of Fame Florida Highwaymen Artists. He remembers the early, hard-fought days of the movement: watching his father load vibrant, wet oil landscapes into the back of an old station wagon, transforming raw Upson board into windows of an idyllic Florida paradise to sell along the highways.
Yet, when his father offered to teach him to paint during his teenage years, Hezekiah Jr. wasn't ready to pick up the brush. Instead, he chose a path of dedicated service, leaving home at 18 to pursue a distinguished 22-year career in the United States military, serving proudly across both the Navy and the Air Force. Throughout his decades of service, he traveled the world, silently collecting a massive store of vivid memories, colors, and landscapes from everywhere he was stationed.
It wasn't until long after retiring from the military that the legacy caught up with him. One morning, he woke up with a strange, sudden, and absolutely insatiable urge to paint. The gift that had slept inside his DNA for decades poured out onto the canvas, and he realized his father's spirit and legacy existed in every single stroke of his brush.
Today, painting from his home studio over 1,000 miles away in Maine, Hezekiah Baker Jr. is not walking in his father's shadow—he is carrying the light forward. As a verified Second-Generation Highwaymen Artist, his artwork bridges two distinct worlds. Bold yellows, deep oranges, vibrant greens, and rich blues burst from his canvases. He masterfully captures the sun-drenched, historic Florida inlets of his hometown, alongside the crisp, snow-covered rivers and pristine wilderness of New England.
This is not an artist riding on coattails or replicating the past. This is a veteran, a son, and a master craftsman honoring history while expanding it—ensuring the living American legacy of the Florida Highwaymen burns brighter than ever before.