Marcus Beilby, born 1951 in Perth, grew up in Western Australia where he continues to live and work. He is the son of author Richard Beilby (1918–89) whose publications include The Brown Land Crying (Angus & Robertson, 1975) and The Bitter Lotus (Angus & Robertson, 1978). He graduated with a Diploma of Fine Arts (painting), from Claremont Technical College in Perth, and painted and lectured in painting and printmaking until he became a full-time painter in 1989. Marcus Beilby's photo-realist style reflects his passion for representing ordinary Australians at work and play. It is characterised by closely observed detail and a strong graphic, almost photographic quality. The colours are intense and the light stark. These qualities are evident in Beilby’s painting of the first sitting of the High Court in Melbourne in 1903, which is based on one of the official photographs of the sitting. In 1993 he was commissioned by HM Queen Elizabeth II to paint the opening of the new Parliament House.