A Chat with the Brilliantly Creative Valda Bailey
Image © Valda Bailey
Valda Bailey is one of my favorite people. She does it all. She is a photographer, artist, and instructor who creates art from her soulful mind and shares it with the world and with her beautiful community at Find Your Voice. She is a wonderfully curious artist who plays with shape and color like nobody's business. She travels the world; and takes us there. She is inquisitive, super smart, funny, and the most kind and humble person you could ever meet. She also likes a good ice cream.
Valda has been an inspiration and mentor for me for a few years now. In the last 3 years, I was able to take online classes with Valda Bailey and Doug Chinnery, meet with them to talk about ideas and projects, and excitedly travel to France and Scotland with their photo tours last year (some coming up!). She has encouraged me and many others to explore the abstract side of photography, in camera and in software. With this came the freedom for me to open up and grow into my very personal artwork of today. For this I will be eternally grateful. I am also grateful and inspired by our friendship and her mentorship.
I was very excited to have a Q & A with her for this newsletter and couldn't wait to ask her about HER. Thank you VALDA!
Image © Valda Bailey
Image © Valda Bailey
"My approach to photography is greatly informed by my background in painting and I use various techniques to blur detail and abstract shapes in the landscape. My work straddles different genres and disciplines as I push away at boundaries in the search for my voice." - Valda Bailey.
Below begins the chat we had together. Many thanks to you, Valda, for sharing with us parts of your life and universe.
L: Where are you from?
V: I grew up on a small island called Jersey - that is the original Jersey in the middle of the English Channel. Only 5 miles by 9 miles it is pretty tiny, although as a child it didn’t seem that way. I think the love of the ocean has remained with me. Again, as a child I assumed having a selection of beautiful sandy beaches on ones doorstep was the norm. Of course I now realise that is very much not the case. Although I am only about 50 minutes away from the coast, time prevents me from visiting. There is something quite extraordinary about the light in the north west of the island where my mother used to live. However, as much as it inspires me, I cannot imagine myself ever returning there permanently..
L: What is your favourite time of day to create?
V: Definitely morning. As anyone who has tried to schedule a meeting or a critique session with me will know, I am completely wasted after about 9pm. More than happy to rise with the sun however. And quite a bit before sunrise during the winter months. The day is young and full of possibilities at that time.
L: What motivates you to create?
V: Everything. The urge is always there and always has been. From as far back as I can remember, the need to make or produce has been a driving force. Now, of course, the stimulation is everywhere. Let me just count how many tabs I have open in my browsers at the moment..... ten. And I know for a fact that I have 20 open on my iPhone because I tried to close some of them down yesterday and couldn’t as more research was needed. Mainly artists to investigate. Ideas to pursue. That kind of thing. And of course I have my reading list on my Safari sidebar. And Pinterest. And a folder on my desktop...
L: How do you develop an idea from beginning to end?
V: There is no method. No tried and tested formula. It is an intuitive thing. A stream of consciousness ramble really. Doodling in Photoshop. Trawling through Lightroom. Researching other people’s work on a similar subject. Looking for quotes or poems that might add something to my thoughts. And of course, hands on work in my studio.
Image © Valda Bailey
L: Tell me about your recent work.
V: I haven’t really made any new work for a long time. Not something sustained, anyway. Lack of time is the only reason. The work that Doug and I do for FYV takes up many of my waking hours. But that in itself is also inspiring so although it is frustrating, it’s a minor niggle and I am eternally grateful to our loyal subscribers.
I have always been interested in depicting people. When I used to draw - as a child, as a teenager, as a cartoonist - it was always imaginary people. I tiptoed down the road of portraiture as a photographer but I don’t have the personality for it. And I definitely need to work alone. But AI and distant grabbed shots from places like India or Morocco - where people actually ask for a photo - has given me some material to work with. I am currently trying to add to a series I started a long time ago called Faces In A Crowd.
L: Do you have a favorite color? How does it show up in your work?
V: I could never choose just one. And the answer - as it so often is - is ‘it depends’. But I suppose I gravitate towards certain colours -rich reds, burnt orange, indigo. Pastels, not so much - I like intense colours. muddy, intense colours.
L: What has been your favorite place to travel and how has it inspired your work.
V: I have been fortunate to travel a great deal. Partly for the tours I run with Doug at Bailey Chinnery, but also with my husband. It is hard to nail down one place. India is up there. Morocco too. And I have a soft spot for Santa Fe. Of course what all these places have in common is colour. Rich warm colours. And good light.
More and more I am drawn to architecture, and the tours I now plan tend to reflect this. Obviously Morocco speaks for itself - it is hugely diverse with so much to capture ones imagination. I have a tour to Basel coming up and when I did the recce, again, it was the architecture that took my breath away. Strong shapes. Modern design by acclaimed masters such as Frank Gehry - contrast with the ornate cathedrals and picturesque town squares dating back many centuries. It is captivating.