On Friday, January 2, 2015, Melissa Morgan Fine Art, a contemporary gallery in Palm Desert, California, will present the newest body of work from painter Richard Baker. “Desert Scenes” features sun-drenched canvases depicting popular leisure activities among desert dwellers, including horseback riding, golf, and tennis.

Baker, who studied painting at the University of Pennsylvania under the celebrated British-born realist painter Rackstraw Downes, is highly influenced by cinematography, which stems from his professional experience as a leading film and television producer. Employing dramatic compositions, heavy brushstrokes, and exaggerated colors, Baker adds a surreal quality to everyday scenes, creating paintings that toe the line between realism and material abstraction.