ARTIST STORY
The Covid Years - The Blade Stroke Becomes the Painting.
During the dark days of Covid-19 in 2020 when the world closed down, my outward facing view of creating art shifted towards a more personal inward facing view of the world.
Before Covid-19 in 2020, I was comfortable viewing the process of making art through the lens of subtraction. The city is a place I could walk or bike around and find something that would inspire me whether it was related to art or architecture. Beginning with taking a photograph of a found object or building, I would print it out on paper or canvas and then edit it with gesso until the essence of the subject was revealed.
A favorite subject matter of mine was the mini dumpsters which are found throughout NYC construction sites. The more dented, dusty and colorful the better. They could be alone or ganged together but they had to be empty to reveal their full depth to showcase their playfulness of light and shadow. They were my M&M's of the art world, with boundless ways of looking at them.
When Covid 19 hit, we were forced to stay inside with little to do. I was blessed to be surrounded by family in a safe environment, but with no physical access to the outside world, the making of art came to a halt.
Going inside....
abstract isolations
recycled material
Finding a leftover space in our apartment building's basement to make art that was near where the trash was taken out.
In hindsight, these Covid Years were some of the most productive years of making artwork where the blade stroke became the painting.
ARTIST BIO
P. Christian Bailey is an architect, teacher and artist living in NYC.
As an artist, he is part of The Art Arsenal, an interactive art and artists online boutique created by Jill Higson, the Founder and Chief Curator. He has been active over the past 5 years with art by architects exhibitions throughout NYC. As the President of the Society of American Registered Architects NY Council (SARA), he established the first SARAART Exhibition/Charity Event in the fall of 2023. The exhibition showcased 35 architects from all over the world and 75 pieces of art. The event raised of $2500 towards student scholarship funds. The second SARAART exhibit will be held Oct 9 -Oct 11, 2024 in NYC. As a Founding Principal at ODA, he initiated ODAART with in the office with Asuncion Tapia and Elizabeth Jackson.
As an architect, Christian is a Director at MA (Morris Adjmi Architects) and was previously a Founding Principal at ODA. He is serving his third term with the Industry Advisory Group for the State Department Bureau of Overseas Building Operations.
As a teacher, Christian is an adjunct professor at New York City College of Technology and active with the Virginia Tech Diplomacy Lab Studio.
After completing his studies in 1994 with a Bachelor of Architecture from Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia, he worked with design/build firms in Atlanta as a carpenter on housing and furniture projects. Christian and his family moved to NYC in 2001 and currently lives in Washington Heights and spends most of his time between New York and Virginia.
With a foundation in architecture, construction, teaching and art, Christian looks for clarity and simplicity in design and painting. There are some that say his nature is somewhat sympathetic, but mostly non-plussed.