Untitled 2026 acrylic and charcoal on 300gsm Sennelier paper 860 × 655mm (framed)
For many years veteran painter John Bailey has explored abstraction in its tightest of forms. Never one to imitate or stand still, his works, like the best of jazz musicians, have stood apart and become his own. Since the 1980s when he received three Queen Elizabeth II Arts Council Grants he has continued to exhibit and explore a tight range of abstract effects that owe something to his interests in poetry, jazz, and philosophy. Various writers have commented on both the sculptural, musical, mathematical, and figurative elements that have appeared in his work but Bailey is not static, he has always looked for rhythm, harmony, and a certain physical discordance perhaps. Henry Cowell, Keith Jarrett and the drawings and paintings (cut-outs) of Auguste Rodin come to mind. This exhibition of paintings on paper shows Bailey at his most inventive where the sculptural and figurative combine in sensual and harmonic ways. Bailey’s works are held in private and public collections throughout New Zealand and overseas.
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