Christopher Baker is predominantly a landscape painter who relishes braving the elements, confronting nature at its most extreme. A trip to Antarctica resulted in a highly acclaimed series of paintings exhibited in Petworth House and the Royal Academy in 2006. He works in situ with frantic speed and energy, the brush marks bold and direct with no time for reflection. His specially adapted painting trailer enables him to work on large scale canvasses on site. On other occasions he has begun a painting indoors, only to find the need to take it out into the landscape and work directly from nature. Baker works in oils, watercolours and his own unique monoprint technique. His solid grounding in the classical rules of painting and his understanding of compositional rules and colour harmony, give him the freedom to extend his works well beyond the realm of traditional landscape. He has absorbed the planes and patterns of the landscape, often using the device of strong diagonals to lead our eye into the distance until the land merges with the distant horizon. His restrained colour resonates with subtle accents. While the paint surface may appear spontaneous and gestural, it is complex, with layer upon layer of brush strokes and glazes. Baker has exhibited at Pallant House, Chichester, Petworth House and The Royal Academy, as well as internationally. He has won awards and scholarships and is a tutor at West Dean College in Sussex. He recently starred as the artist in the acclaimed film Archipelago, set in the Scilly Isles.