Artist’s Statement:

My artwork consists of polychromed wood or acrylics on canvas with the style remaining consistent from surface to surface. The wood pieces have a low relief surface with canvas collage.

Though primarily a painter, my most recent work falls into the category of mixed media and assemblage. Sometimes an idea will begin to develop layers of meaning as layers of materials are being added: wood, canvas, and the occasional "found-object." The mixed media, relief, and collage combine to add texture. The found-objects add not only the aspect of nostalgia, but also the modern element of the sculptural fragment.

Visually the work has been strongly influenced by the most "American" of American artists, the Regionalists, and their focus on the figurative element. I am fascinated with the human figure and how it intersects the composition. My subject matter tends to deal with family relations, laborers, and the average individual.

                                                                      Edwin Ryan Bailey

Dr. Robert Hobbs, Professor of Art History at Virginia Commonwealth University and author of monographs on the works of artists Edward Hopper and Milton Avery, had this to say about the artwork of Ryan Bailey:

"...Bailey has chosen the tradition of regionalism, a style that developed in the 1930’s to pay homage to homespun traditions. Although his work appears to belong to the revivalist trend toward narrative painting that has captured the imaginations of a number of Southern artists, his art actually differs from this work in terms of its willingness to suspend narrative and allow viewers the opportunity to fabricate their own stories about the figures populating his canvases."

If you have questions or would like to make a purchase, send an e- mail to Edcanvas@aol.com. 
Copyright © 1999 The Artwork of Edwin Ryan Bailey