About
Nature is the primary inspiration for this native New Englander. Her favorite subjects are the uninhabited landscape, birds, and cats. These she paints in oil, watercolor and pastel, in a somewhat impressionistic style. "I seek to express and share the magical wonder I see and feel in nature. Walking in the woods or along the seashore, so much fascinates me and drives me to attempt to capture its essence: the twinkling of lightning bugs on summer nights, reflections on the surface of a pond, the quiet hush of a marsh, the glow of the full moon, the stark beauty of bare trees in winter..."
As an artist, Michele is a "midlife beginner." She started taking classes in pastel painting in 2009 with local artist Sarah Fielding-Gunn Ricci. At the same time she began learning watercolor painting on her own. In 2012 she began painting in oils as well. " I adore the vibrance of the pigments and the interplay of color possible with pastel. The dynamic flow and brilliance of watercolor fascinates me. I thrive on the possibilities in combining various media and various papers -- and oh I love handmade papers!-- in collage, which I am exploring more now. And I also love the rich, luscious world of oil painting. So I work in various media, depending on what's calling me, or what the subject seems to choose."
Bailey's artwork has been juried into several shows at the Portsmouth Arts Guild (2009, 2010, 2011, 2015) in Portsmouth, RI and the Little Compton Annual Summer Art Show (2012, 2013, 2014, 2019) in Little Compton, RI. She has also exhibited in group shows at the Russell Gallery at the Westport Rivers Vineyard & Winery, Westport MA (2009-2012), and at the Westport Art Group (2010-2018). Her pastel painting "Pond Patterns" won Third Place in the Greater Fall River Art Association's 2013 Spring Exhibition. (see it below)
Bailey is a member of South Coast Artists, based in Westport, MA, and the Westport Art Group, Westport, MA.
She lives in Tiverton RI and is self-employed caring for cats, dogs and other pets.
"Pond Patterns" Pastel, 12x9" (SOLD)