A Saltaire artist who is celebrating his gallery's first anniversary is painting his way to further success after clinching two contracts.

Darren Baker has landed a three-year commission to paint bottles of body spray and washing-up powder for UK consumer goods giant Unilever's new advertising campaign.

And the 27-year-old, who runs Masarella Fine Art Gallery, in Victoria Road, Saltaire, has also been snapped up by leading designer Clive Christian - whose perfume has been sold to England skipper David Beckham at £30,000 a bottle - to create a picture of one of his £250,000 stylish kitchens in his Harrogate showroom for a forthcoming brochure.

"It's been an amazing year and the work is just flooding in," said Mr Baker, who graduated from Bradford College of Art in 1998.

"The Unilever project is very different to what I normally do. It sounds rather strange on the face of it as I'll be painting packets of Persil washing powder and Lynx body spray. But it will also be shown in an exhibition at the Tate gallery in London along with my sketches and drafts."

His celebratory exhibition, which opens with a preview night on Friday, November 7, from 7pm to 9pm, charts his four-year career and includes a new selection of paintings.

It will be open to the public from Saturday, November 8, to Wednesday, November 19.

Mr Baker was also hired by the Professional Footballers' Association in 2001 and painted portraits of David Beckham, Dennis Bergkamp and Gary Lineker.

And his portrait of Prince Charles landed him a VIP trip to St James's Palace where he handed his work over to the prince.

Now he has turned his talents to interiors and still lives.

"I hope my work for Clive Christian, who has showrooms in Paris and New York, will mean I can break into the US market," said Mr Baker.

"I love realism and the only thing I don't like to do are landscapes."