Ron Baker
Ron has a long standing passion for art from his youth. He graduated with a Diploma of Fine Art and Design from Prahran Institute of Technology (Melbourne) in the early 1970s. His teachers included Dale Hickey, Alun Leach-Jones and Peter Booth. After a hiatus during his work career, Ron reignited his passion for art. He spent four years in Florence studying classical techniques of drawing and painting, graduating from the Angel Academy of Art. Ron also studied at the prestigious Charles H Cecil Studios and the Florence Classical Arts Academy. He and Marjan also spent many hours in museums of Florence and Rome making drawings from antique and Renaissance busts/sculptures and studying Old Master paintings.
Ron's training drew him to working from life - particularly still life - the traditions of which inspire and inform his vision. Ron's timelessly beautiful works draw upon imagination, memory and historical references. His outstanding skills in classical realism, especially the use of light and form, evoke a deep sense of poetry, mood and atmosphere.
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To learn more about Ron and Marjan, click
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Introducing Ron and Marjan
Marjan Bakhtiarikish
Marjan is passionate about classical drawing and painting. She studied for several years in Florence at the Accademia delle Belle Arti di Firenze. She won a scholarship to the prestigious Russian Academy of Art, Florence, where she studied advanced drawing and painting, involving still life, portrait and compositions. Marjan then studied with Master Charles H. Cecil at his Florence studio, where she learned the principles of “sight-size” drawing and painting in relation to portrait and figure. Charles Cecil greatly influenced and inspired Marjan to study the narrative and composition techniques of classical western art.
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Since migrating to Australia, Marjan's professional focus has been on narrative and portrait drawing and painting. She particularly admires the Pre-Raphaelites with their emphasis on poetry, story-telling and mood.
Marjan brings her passion for and experience of traditional art to contemporary audiences. She places great emphasis on drawing as fundamental for painting. In drawing she use a range of media such as sepia, charcoal, pastel, pen and ink and mixed media. Marjan stresses the importance of line in drawing as a means of creating rhythm and character. Her brilliant oil painting technical skills include Alla Prima (wet in wet), palette knife techniques and layered approaches which include glazing and "scumbling". Marjan has produced a wide variety of works, including many private portrait commissions.
Marjan is a world-class artist. She has won multiple awards both internationally (New York and Europe) and in Australia, including in acquisitive competitions. She is regularly shortlisted in competitions overseas and in Australia.
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