Martyn Baker


I have been painting over the years in my spare time, and have rarely exhibited.

I live alone in Bethnal Green and have had many, and disparate, jobs. I attended Falmouth Art College in the late 1970s.

My paintings vary a lot, I think, compared to most artists. I like to experiment and play around: a sort of self exploration.

Some of my works, mainly my oil paintings, use photographs. Sometimes I create an imaginary scene with a mixture of photographic reference stitched together and, at other times, I find my photographs inspiring in themselves. My watercolours are more imaginative and ambiguous.

When I was younger I worked mostly from observation but I could not paint in public.

I like the familiarity and symbolism of well known places, especially since I live in London.