Valda Bailey Photography

Chandra - meaning the Hindu God of the Moon – as the image was taken in Sri Lanka The image was first gilded with copper then that was rubbed back to reveal most of the glass, and t...

"The bottomless depths of a private koi pond in a Sussex garden. Dancing light, rhythmic flow and a scattering of flowers on the surface, all help to convey the dark mystery of a life below the surface." - Valda Bailey...

Golden hues mingle with palm silhouettes, crafting a serene tropical escape... Palm leaves create a mysterious interplay of light and shadow over a textured golden backdrop… A sympho...

END OF DAY, 2017 Printed on museum glass, hand finished with White Gold and Silver leaf, Framed 52 x 43 cm (framed), 36 x 27 cm (glass image size) Edition 1/5. Although the prints ar...

A sunflower reaching the end. A slow descent into a less colourful but far more sculptural state as the petals wither and crisp and the flowerhead bends slowly down. Early autumn bac...

"All about the light. The rich golden light at sunset on a beach in Sri Lanka. Palm trees are everywhere and they have many identities. They can sway gracefully in the breeze, or the...

June Melody, 2017 Printed on museum glass, hand gilded with White Gold and Silver leaf 61 x 61 cm (including frame), 45 x 45 cm (glass size) Edition of 5 (Each individually hand gild...

"I am primarily driven by an exploration of colour and form. My objective is to bring an emotional is to bring an emotional element and aesthetic balance to my work." "It came to me in the middle of the night - as these things often do - that to incorporate gold leaf into the finished print would neatly encapsulate some of the elements I am trying to express. Its application would obviously have to be done by hand with all its attendant imperfections and mistakes. Kintsugi - the Japanese art of patching broken ceramics with gold - shares its aesthetic with Wabi Sabi." - Valda Bailey...

Truth, 2017 Print on Museum Glass, Hand gilded with Lemon and Moon Gold 31 x 31 cm/ 12.2 x 12.2 in (custom framed) Edition of 5 This print is from a series of images made from a collection of honesty seeds gathered at the end of baking hot summer... The papery enclosures are like parchment through which the light filters with a pale gold delicacy." The beauty of the pieces printed on glass are truly revealed when seen in the flesh, which shimmer in the daylight and change constantly as different light sources are reflected off the print. "My fascination with colour goes back a long way. One of my earliest creative recollections has me sitting at a table endlessly mixing paints in a valiant but ultimately futile attempt to 'invent a new colour'. It was an imperative that kept me occupied for some time as I recall. The result was always the same - and unedifying fudge of pale peach and silver." - Valda Bailey...

This artwork captures the ethereal beauty of palm trees bathed in moonlight, creating a mystical nightscape… Silhouetted palms stand gracefully against a rich, deep purple backdrop, ...

Supernova, 2017 Printed on museum glass, Hand gilded with White Gold and Silver leaf, Framed 61 x 61 cm (including frame) 45 x 45 cm (glass print) Edition of 5. - Although the prints...

Cosmos III, Moon and Pink Gold leaf on glass, 2019 Archival Pigment Print on Museum Glass, Hand Gilded by the Artist with Moon Gold and Pink Gold 31 x 31 cm/ 12.2 x 12.2 in. Framed E...

Cosmos I, Pink and White Gold leaf on Glass, 2019 Archival Pigment Print on Museum Glass, Hand Gilded with Pink Gold and White Gold leaf 31 x 31 cm/ 12.2 x 12.2 in (Framed) From Edit...

Print detail: Painting like photographic Fine Art Print, Printed on Museum Glass and Hand Gilded with Gold leaf in custom made frame. 41 x 57 cm (Framed) Glass Print from Edition of 1/5 Series: Blossom Blizzard (New Print on Glass edition 2022) About the work: "Despite T.S. Eliot's assertion that 'April is the cruellest month', I invariably feel a sudden surge of wellbeing and optimism when the first scent of spring hangs in the air. I know I'm far from alone in this - photographers and artists surely feel that sense of excitement as keenly as any gardener eagerly rifling though their seed packets. Mother Nature, it seems, is handing us our images on a plate. The light is soft and benign, the colours, gentle, and the countryside seems to suddenly be filled with boundless enthusiasm. Quotes such as 'Spring is nature's way of reminding us that every day is worthy of celebration' pop up on social media with unfailing regularity - long before the first cuckoo is heard. This image was taken at Stanmer Park, just outside of Brighton. A blustery day in early April, the air was filled with the sweet smell of April and the profligacy and exuberance of the new growth emerging was inspirational. Blossom-laden branches were everywhere but I concentrated on one small tree that stood apart from the rest. For reasons unclear, its tiny flowers seemed whiter, fluffier, altogether more generous than that of any of its neighbours. It was bitterly cold. The type of cold that can only be experienced when one has left home in overly optimistic clothing, only to realise that the wind chill factor hadn't been accounted for when getting dressed. I struggled on for about half an hour - reluctant to retreat to the warmth of the nearby cafe and the very enticing appeal of a cup of coffee. Fortunately, my inspiration came quickly - as the tiny petals blew around my head and I stood there shivering in all my reckless optimism, I realised it felt like nothing more than being encased in one of those half-domed snow globes. The fiercest blizzard was surely never this intense. I certainly couldn't imagine it ever being this cold. Photographic perfection is not my objective. Its obedient conformity initially attracts, but, for me, leaves little enticement to investigate further. So it was that the tangled complexity of branches and the disparate arrangement of blossom engaged, rather than frustrated my aspirations. By layering image upon image, frame upon frame, I was able to build up the layers of blossom and emphasise the movement of the branches. All photographic images represent a moment in time. The way I make my images combine several. I walked around the tree, back and forth trying to engage with the long-limbed gaucheness of its extended branches. The colour palette needed little intervention; I don't think anybody makes a paint called 'blustery blue' but perhaps they should. This contrasted beautifully with the jade and emerald grass, subsequently overlaid with soft white snowflakes and created, what for me, was a very pleasing and fresh arrangement of seasonal colours." - Valda Bailey

"An image taken in Pushkar during what was to be a memorable trip and the last link with normality before the pandemic took hold. We travelled around India, the days becoming more and more precious as we got the sense of Covid's restrictive net closing in around the world. The image was finished some months later, while fully in the grasp of a second lockdown. The addition of gold leaf symbolised for me a sense of hope and the spiritual energy with which I will always associate India, and especially Pushkar." - Valda Bailey...