Darren
www.DarrenBakerFineArt.co.uk www.facebook.com/darrenbakerartist
Baker
“Thrilling & virtuosic T h e
S u n d a y
T i m e s
Darren
Baker C o n t e m p o r a r y
R e a l i s m
T h i s i s a s m a l l s e l e c t i o n o f a r t w o r k f r o m D a r r e n ’s s t u n n i n g c o l l e c t i o n ‘C o n t e m p o r a r y R e a l i s m ’. P l e a s e e n q u i r e i n t h e g a l l e r y t o v i e w t h e f ull collection of previously unseen original paintings.
Darren Baker is one of the leading painters of the Classical Realism genre and his st yle displays the inf luences of both the Dutch Masters and the contemporar y Realist School . His original oi ls have won him numerous awards including The Garrick Prize f rom Chr i sties, London and hang in pr ivate col lections including those of the House o f L o r d s , D o w n i n g S t r e e t a n d S t J a m e s ’s P a l a c e . B a k e r ’s u n i q u e s t a t u s w a s r e c e n t l y c o n f i r m e d b y t w o p r e s t i g i o u s i n v i t a t i o n s . A p p o i n t e d as an of f icial artist to the 2012 Oly mpic Games, he has also just completed an of f icial portrait of HM Queen Elizabeth II, an accolade only accorded to a small number of p a i n t e r s i n t h e m o n a r c h ’s l i f e t i m e . T h e p o r t r a i t w i l l b e p r e s e n t e d t o H e r M a j e s t y a s p a r t o f t h e B r i t i s h L e g i o n ’s 9 0 t h b i r t h d a y c e l e b r a t i o n s . A s o f f i c i a l a r t i s t t o t h e P r o f e s s i o n a l F o o t b a l l e r ’s A s s o c i a t i o n f o r m a n y y e a r s , B a k e r has produced an impressive portfolio of portraits for sports clubs and personalities including Dame Kel ly Holmes, L ew i s Hami lton, Jonny Wi l k inson and Steven G e r r a r d , w h i l e h i s n o n - s p o r t i n g p o r t r a i t s i n c l u d e H R H P r i n c e C h a r l e s a n d To n y B l a i r . H i s p o r t r a i t o f Po p e J o h n P a u l I I w a s g r e e t e d w i t h a p e r s o n a l m e s s a g e o f a p p r e c i a t i o n f r o m t h e Va t i c a n .
W e s t m i n s t e r
N i g h t
7” x 5” O r i g i na l Paste l o n Ca nv as
D a r r e n ’s w o r k a n d t h e t e c h n i q u e s h e e m p l o y s a c h i e v e a f i n i s h t h a t i s c o m p a r a b l e t o p h o t o g r a p h y. I t i s t h e result of meticulous preparation and minute attention to detail at ever y stage of creation.
“
I prepare and stretch al l of my canvases
p e r s o n a l l y, p r i m i n g a n d s a n d i n g d o w n t o an almost mirror-like surface, to ensure the smooth application of paint. After
outlining
the
subject
with
a
h i g h ly d e ta i l e d ‘a r c h i t e c t u r al’ d r aw i n g , I w o r k o n t h e u n d e r p a i n t i n g in tones of sepia oil paint, which I br ush, rag on and airbrush in various areas. This gives a foundation on which I begin to b u i l d i n c o l o u r.
”
I I
V e n e t i a n
L i g h t
14” x 10” Original Oi l on Canvas
To
Ta n g o
18” x 14” Original Oi l on Canvas
By eliminat ing any hint of colour, Dar ren highlights the bold contrasts between the solid architecture and the incandescent lights of the cit y to stunning ef fect.
“
Wo r k i n g o n t h e s e c h a r c o a l s w a s a n
o ddly i n t i mat e e x p e r i e n c e
almost like creating a portrait of an old friend. I wanted to show London as I see it myself, a place that welcomes so much life yet remains an amazing site of architectural and cultural heritage.
S t u d y
f o r
”
T r a f a l g a r
8” x 6” Original Charcoal Study
S q u a r e
C a b a r e t
Te m p t r e s s
20” x 18” Original Oi l on Canvas
V I
S t u d y
f o r
R a c i n g
S t a l l i o n s
8” x 6” Original Charcoal Study
C h u r c h
L i g h t
9” x 6” Original Oi l on Canvas
Over the years I have become increasingly preoccupied w ith hy perrealism and have spent longer and longer periods over working small sections of a painting in order to create the work I have env isaged .
This series of miniatures grew out of a desire to indulge my interest, some may say obsession, with detail. I chose to use graphite, pastel and conte pencil as this gives such wonderf ul scope for contrast. W hen you are working in miniature contrast is ever y thing , as much of the detail does have to be implied rather than recreated, but I was ver y excited to see the degree of
the quest for perfection‌
accurac y I was able to maintain. Once the series was complete I gave a lot of thought to the p re s e n tat i o n to o. B e c au s e o f t h e i n t r i c ac y a n d i n te n s i t y o f eac h image I felt they needed some space to breathe, so have set them w ithin a w ide deep mount to eliminate any surrounding distraction. This was a ver y personal project for me as working to such a small scale was a major challenge, but one that I relished as it was both
s e r i e s o f m i n i at u r e s
incredibly demanding and hugely rewarding.
E m p i r e
S t a t e
B u i l d i n g
2” x 1.5” Original Charcoal
N e l s o n ’ s
C o l u m n
1.5” x 2.5” Original Charcoal