Martin Truefitt-Baker
artwork

Trees the on side of the mountain track to the quarry on Mynydd Llangatwg. The path is worn deep into the ground and must be very old. The stones walls have fallen at the sides, or maybe these are piles of stone that has fallen from the wagons. Trees are growing along either side now, on top of the stones and must have been there for a very long time. The sun was just burning through the mist. Oil on linen 40x50cm. #oilpainting #tree #winter #painting #seasons #Crickhowell #B

I'm chuffed to bits, my painting 'Twisting Tree' has been longlisted for the Jackson's open painting prize. I'd been looking at some of the excellent work submitted and thought it was a long shot. Over 5,000 entered. Update, it didn't make the shortlist but I'm still pleased that it got noticed. #painting #seasons #Crickhowell #landscape #Llangattock #tree

A recently finished very small oil painting of some Hellebores from the garden and ivy berries from the hedgerow. #oilpainting #garden #painting #gallery #Llangattock #stilllife #seasons #flowers

Yes it's my favourite tree again! When I started out to walk up the hillside it was bright and crisp. By the time I got to the view over the valley it was cold and very windy. A couple of Red Kites were flying into the wind along the edge of the old limestone quarry and the sky was threatening rain. I stayed for about an hour, that was more than enough. The painting was finished in the studio. #oilpainting #winter #BreconBeacons #RedKite #tree #Llangattock #landscape #Crickho

This is a painting I've just finished in the last couple of days. This is only the second oil painting, I've now completed, after returning to the medium after 30-ish years. It is from the first big fall of snow of this winter and is of my favourite tree up over Craig y Cilau. I just wasn't hardy enough to complete this painting on the mountain (wimp!)and my studio has a very nice and efficient log burner. I've painted the same tree several times now in the last few years. No

My free copy was on the mat when I got back from my snowy walk. Nice to be noticed. Welsh Border Life magazine, February edition. http://www.walesandborders.com/news/latest-news.html?id=2028 #BreconBeacons #gallery #tree #Otter #exhibition #seasons #Crickhowell

Familiar subject...unfamiliar medium. My first oil painting for a few decades. I'm quite pleased with it. The brushstrokes are more defined but the edges are softer because of the 'wet on wet' technique. 30x24cm on linen. #winter #BreconBeacons #Llangattock #landscape #seasons #Autumn #tree #oilpainting

Autumn Tree. The Bracken in November was such a bright orange/red in the frosty morning light. This small (30x24cm) acrylic on linen painting will be part of the Cric New Year exhibition that starts next week. #Autumn #gallery #Llangattock #exhibition #landscape #Crickhowell #wildlife #seasons #BreconBeacons

2018 was a year of painting trees for me. Some have already gone to good homes and some will be on show in the Cric New Year exhibition. And most of my linocuts have been of animals #winter #BreconBeacons #summer #gallery #Lino #exhibition #Llangattock #print #wildlife #Autumn #Crickhowell #birds #painting #seasons #landscape #usk

Frosty Tree, Sugarloaf mountain in the distance. Acrylic on Linen, 70x50cm. Probably finished. This will hopefully be one of my paintings on show in the Cric Gallery (Crickhowell) in the New Year. Update. Finished? Ha! I woke up this on this bright frosty morning and I wasn't happy with the grass in the foreground. Changes made. #BreconBeacons #exhibition #landscape #seasons #winter #Crickhowell #Llangattock

Red Kite from above, flying over a snowy early morning landscape

A summer painting of Agapanthus and Fennel flowers, birds and bees.

I've been slowly developing a design for a linocut of a Greenman for a couple of months. A Greenman is a mythological image/character that can be found in many churches and Cathedrals. There are many theories about the origin and meaning of of the image, with connections to Paganism but also into Christianity. There is lots of information online about them. I have tried to bring in more of the ecology of the (Oak) trees, plants and flowers (Lesser Stitchwort, White Bryony) a

I've recently completed another largish reduction linocut print. It is of a Barn Owl, not one of the most common birds in the area (I think this part of the Beacons is at the edge of its territory)but one of my favourites. I've been doing some paintings of the hedge in winter very close to my house. I like the silhouette made because at some time in the past the hedge has been 'layed' and the sharp edge and sides, from where Chris the farmer has expertly trimmed it for many y

I'm very happy to say that I've had two pieces of work accepted for Crickhowell Open Art Competition at Oriel Cric Gallery. One is my recent print of an Otter and the other is the acrylic painting of the hedgerow close to my house during the recent snowy weather. The Exhibition is launched on Friday 25th May and continues until 7th July 2018. It is always full of work of the highest standard and well worth a visit, either as part of the Open Studios weekend or if you are in t

With all of the wintery weather we've been having it has been nice to walk some of the lanes and look over the hedges at the landscape. I've decided to make several pieces of work based on them. I really like the silhouette of an old laid hedge with the diagonal branches and then the newer upright shoots, trimmed and distorted at the top where they are cut each year. I'm still not sure. A smaller sketch on an offcut of mounting board. ....and I've also started a lino print us

Cric gallery in Crickhowell have three of my paintings in their spring exhibition starting today. Two of them framed and ready to go. The article in the 'Art Share Love Wales' magazine #gallery #exhibition #landscape #stilllife #flowers #Crickhowell #seasons #painting

After some success with my lino print of the Brown Trout in the river Usk, I've been working over the last few weeks to complete a print of a Salmon in the Usk. Once again I've tried to get that feeling of the fish's view of things and mixed up things from above and below the water. The Trout was set in the spring, the Salmon is set in the early autumn. I'd been looking for ideas for some flowers and animals to include in the image. On a recent walk along the river I came acr

WILDLIFE IN ART Local Artist to exhibit in major national Wildlife art exhibition. Work by Crickhowell based local artist, Martin Truefitt-Baker has been selected from over 800 submissions to appear alongside paintings by some of Britain’s leading wildlife artists. The exhibition will be on display at Mall Galleries in London between 19th and 29th October. Martin, who used to teach art in a school in Merthyr, told the Focus that he is extremely excited to have a painting and

I've been working on a lino print of a honey bee for a while. I have just finished printing today. It has been quite difficult. It is a 'double reduction'. I used two lino blocks, cutting away at each of the blocks. One for three colours and the other for two. I'm not totally sure about the colours I've used in one of the editions but because it's a reduction print, there is no way back. My favourite part is the spent dandelion flower. I think there is a possibility of anothe