After I cooked him yummy blue berry pancakes, Tod
Bailey showed me his newest
paintings. Close inspection of his handling of
color in “The Orchard” revealed nearly perfect tonal balance, enhanced by an
overall quality of radiance.
The reason this got my attention is because he used predominantly
cool color tones in “The Orchard,” and it’s extremely difficult to succeed with
a cool color scheme, in fact most artists do a miserable job of balancing
dominant cool tones with the warm colors required for visual comfort. Since coloring has always been a primary
component of Tod’s pictorial construction, I questioned him:
Virginia Billeaud Anderson: Artists often blow it
when working in the cool end of the color spectrum, we've
all seen puke-y canvases unleashed which are over weighted with
blues and greens. But in “The Orchard”
you achieved cohesiveness by offsetting the cool tones with warm pinks and
yellows, as well as some neutrals. Tell
me about the process which resulted in such elegant balance. Did you sketch the cool and warm passages? While arranging the composition, did you make
color choices mindful of traditional color theory based on contrasting and
complimentary hues? Or, was it all
disheveled and intuitive?
Tod Bailey: Virginia, there was no sketch. Just intuitive color play. Luck?
It wasn’t difficult to accept the lack of intellectual
program behind this particular bit of color virtuosity. Familiarity with Tod’s work had me aware that
at times his pictorial engagement is undisciplined and raw, as if it springs
from savage thrill. His collectors find
that cannibalism seductive.
One hour later, though, Tod reconsidered and
admitted that in this case "dumbass luck" was backed up by intense
concentration.
Tod Bailey: Look, I worked on that painting for five
months. It took time!
“The Orchard” will be displayed in Tod Bailey’s solo
exhibition of paintings, Tod Bailey, which opens on Saturday June 3,
2017 at Gspot Gallery in Houston, Texas. The opening reception is Saturday, June 3, 6-9
pm. Gspot Gallery, which is owned by that rascal Wayne Gilbert, is located at
310 East Ninth Street, Houston Texas.
Image:
Tod Bailey, “The Orchard,” 2017, Oil on Canvas, 38” x 42”
