Pure Energy

Paul Bailey renders the Welsh coastline with a set of dynamic acrylic techniques

- Paul Bailey

Low clouds over Twizzle Foot, acrylic on canvas board, 20 x 16" (50 x 40 cm)

Of all of the wonderful views of Wales, the coastline of Pembrokeshire has to be my favorite, especially the spectacular cliffs and shoreline of St. David's peninsula. The St. David's coastline seems to be in a perpetual state of flux: ripping clouds and simmering casts of color. The light shifts dramatically, and the evening illumination of the sun (golden hour) is particularly enchanting along the spectacular line of shattered rock cliffs, which have been both sculpted by the sea and distorted, over eons, by geological movements in the earth. It's totally inspiring.

I make no secret of my use of a phone camera to capture my reference in preference to sketching or painting plein air. Using my camera gives me more time to walk and explore. I augment the compositions with either memory or imagination, or perhaps both, and sometimes amalgamate photographic reference together. The photo is only the starting point. It's not my intention to accurately capture the scene, but rather express its nature in paint. I find joy and excitement in painting this way without constraint. Yes, my paintings do reflect my slightly cavalier attitude, especially when some of my paint choices can occasionally be what is actually close to hand.

Severn Valley autumn, acrylic on canvas board, 10 x 12" (25 x 30 cm)

One analogy of my process is that I consider the progression of a painting like a game of chess. I start with a plan, or opening, but I am willing to respond as the painting develops. My mark making, be it brushwork or paint flicking, is dynamic and occasionally unpredictable, but I have learned to get myself in the right ballpark so the results are controlled and pretty much as I intended.

Paul Bailey in his studio.