I was born in Enfield but grew up and went to school in Portsmouth and Southsea and my early work was produced around that area. I often painted beach scenes, the docks and the surrounding countryside plus portraits of family and friends. Here is a larger collection of my Portsmouth and Southsea paintings and drawings in a Google photo album (most of which I still have). I attended Portsmouth Art College in the mid-sixties.

As a child I continuously filled sketchbooks, won a few art prizes and was painting portraits in oil while still at primary school. There was a natural progression from school to the Foundation course at Portsmouth College of Art (Pre-Dip) in 1965, followed by Fine Art at Winchester School of Art. This turned out to be not an ideal place for me to develop as a figurative artist and I left after one year (but I did find my life partner there). I then worked in character-forming manual jobs in Portsmouth and Manchester while continuing to paint and draw. Eventually evening class A-level studies in English Literature and History led me (aged 26) to Cambridge University (English Tripos at Christ’s College, graduating in 1977).

While an undergraduate I entered a surprisingly lively art scene, contributed to student art exhibitions and commenced an enormous amount of life drawing, which went on for four decades. I now continue to paint in my studio in Cambridge and enjoy involvement in the local art scene, particularly via the Cambridge Drawing Society (I became a member in 1983).

I use a variety of media, such as oil, pastel, watercolour (often combined with pen work), and mixed media. For pen work I always use traditional steel dip pens with Indian ink. Mixed media for me is usually a combination of ink, gouache and oil pastel. I am producing more oil paintings in recent times, sometimes painted alla prima, and sometimes painted over a longer period of time with plenty of scraping down and rework.

I have been involved in many exhibitions over the years (see list below), notably at the Conservatory Gallery in Cambridge during the 80’s and 90’s, the Linda Blackstone Gallery (formerly in Pinner) for a long period commencing in 2001, the Bow House Gallery in Barnet (from 1991 for several years until the owners retired), the Whittlesford Gallery near Cambridge (several successful years until change of ownership), and the CDS (twice a year since 1983). For a period I entered work for exhibitions at the Mall Galleries and examples were shown at the NEAC, the RBA and the RI. In 1998 my drawings were featured in the book Figure Sketching School (Readers’ Digest/Quarto Publishing). I am pleased to see I have an entry in David Buckman’s “Artists in Britain since 1945” where I am described as “a versatile artist and draughtsman”.

Paintings and drawings can be viewed in the studio and in a small garden room in Cambridge but as things are generally untidy please arrange in advance by email (mailto:cambridgartstudio@gmail.com) - preferably not in the winter. I can normally provide a parking space. If interested, prices can be negotiated (I am not over-ambitious in my pricing). See this Google Album for photos of the studio and garden.

Richard Baker - exhibitions include:

1980 - Gallery Soleil, Cambridge (one-man show)

Twice a year since 1983 - Cambridge Drawing Society

1984 - Eleven Artists of Cambridge and Heidelberg (shown in both cities)

1989 - Royal Society of British Artists (Mall Galleries)

1990 - New English Art Club (Mall Galleries)

1990 - Sebastian Pearson Gallery, Cambridge, selected work

1989/91 - The Hiroko Kato Gallery, Tokyo, selected work

1991 January - Clare Hall Gallery, Cambridge - one-man show

1991 September - Gallery on the Cam, Cambridge – two-man show

1993 - Royal Institute of Watercolour Artists (Mall Galleries)

1993 October - Conservatory Gallery, Cambridge - one-man show and a long-term continuous involvement until the gallery closed.

1993 onwards - The Bow House Gallery, Barnet - annual group exhibitions and a shared exhibition, continuous involvement until owners retired from running the gallery.

1996 April - Conservatory Gallery, Cambridge - two-man show

1997 November - New English Art Club

1998 March - The Old Fire Engine House, Ely - one-man show

1999 January to March - Clare Hall Gallery, Cambridge - one-man show

1999 onwards for a long period – The Whittlesford Gallery, Cambridge - one-man show (and several mixed shows)

from 2000 October - Linda Blackstone Gallery, Pinner (now Totteridge) – regular gallery artist for about 14 years. Work included in the gallery’s displays at the Affordable Art Fairs and in the Watercolour and Drawings Fair at the Royal Academy. In 2001 included in Metropolis 21: A Study of Urban Life in the 21^st Century - mixed exhibition. Work shown at her stand at the Cambridge Art Fair 2014. I eventually stopped taking work there because the driving was too much for me.

2000 October - Gallery 96, King's Street, Cambridge - one-man show

2001 March to May - Conservatory Gallery - My View: Fenscapes, Cloudscapes, Cityscapes

2012 Cambridge Artworks – one-man show

2013 onwards – Curiosity Gallery, St Ives Cambs, now closed but a lot of sales over a number of years

2014 – Cambridge City Art Fair with Linda Blackstone Gallery

2015, 2016 & 2017 COAX at Swavesey, with paintings selected for follow-up exhibitions at the Over Gallery, the Babylon Gallery, Ely and the Haddenham Gallery (2017 First Prize winner)

Autumn 2017 Selected work at the Book and Print Gallery, Newnham, Cambridge until it closed and moved to Oxford.

I have shown and sold work over many years in various public buildings, offices and colleges etc..

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