Paul Bailey’s art is influenced by the farming landscape which surrounds his home. The rural setting with its low rolling hills; intermittent woodland; ancient hedgerows; patch-work fields and vast skies has been his primary source of inspiration over the past couple of years. When talking about one of his popular pieces, Bailey says that it does represent something which is quite essential to his art in terms of execution and concept. “It's not all about the paint which I apply to the surface, but what layers I hide, what pigment I have removed and my ability to know when to stop,” says Bailey. He adds that the removal of paint is quite necessary to create some of the effects his paintings, so the cloth, or paper towel, is as important as a brush to his methods. But what he considers to be of most importance is his ability to stick to the plan and resist any temptation to over complicate.
Bailey likes to keep his art simple so as to effectively communicate his message to the viewers. His use of non-traditional techniques, the semi-abstract nature of his work, his dynamic use of color and his bold compositions help portray his seemingly prosaic landscapes in surprising, vivid and new ways. He prefers to use watercolor because he wants to make his art appealing to all those who view them. His art is stocked in the South East by Hastings, Cuckoo, East Sussex, Essex, New Art Gallery and Nr Billericay. He loves working on hot-pressed, smooth, gesso-primed paper.