Darren baker is one of the leading painters of the Classical Realism Genre and his style displays the influences of both the Dutch Masters and the contemporary Realist School.His original oils have won him numerous awards including The Garrick Prize from Christies.London and hang in private collections including those of the House of Lords,Downing Street and St James’s Palace.
Baker’s unique status was recently confirmed by two prestigious invitations.Appointed as an official artist to the 2012 Olympic Games,he has also just completed an official portrait of HM Queen Elizabeth Ⅱ,an accolade only accorded to a small unmber of painters in the monarch’s lifetime,The portrait will be presented to Her Majesty as part of the British Legion’s 90th birthday celebrations.
As official artist to the Professional Footballer’s Association for many years.Baker has produced an impressive portfolio of portraits for sports clubs and personalities including Dame Kelly Holmes,Lewis Hamilton,Jonny Wilkinson and Steven Gerrard.while his non-sporting portraits include HRH Prince Charles and Tony Blair.His portrait of Pope John Paul Ⅱ was greeted whit a personal message of appreciation from the Vatican.
Darren’s work and the techniques he employs achieve a finish that is comparable to photography.It is the result of meticulous preparation and minute attention to detail at every stage of creation.
“I prepare and stretch all of my canvases personally,priming and sanding down to an almost mirror-like surface,to ensure the smooth application of paint.