Light & Land
Meet Valda Bailey 22nd July 2017
20th June 2017
One of our fantastically talented leaders, Valda Bailey currently has an exhibition running. 'Fragile' at Bosham Gallery in West Sussex runs until 30th July and she will be the artist in residence on July 22nd from 1pm -5 pm.
Valda's talents are multifaceted and her tours and workshops with Light and Land are always sell out events. Apart from her incredible raw talent, energy and love of the camera she is one of the loveliest people your could hope to meet.
Valda is greatly informed by her background in painting. Her influences come as much from artists as photographers and she is largely motivated by colour and form and the tension and dynamism that these components can bring to an image.
She makes her images using in-camera multiple exposure which helps to create abstract shapes and blur extraneous detail. Her objectives are to portray an emotive interpretation of a scene rather than a literal representation.
The exhibition showcases Valda Bailey's enduring fascination with fragility in the landscape and the illusions present when contrasting elements are juxtaposed.
She says: "I am fascinated by all manner of contrasts and contradictions and the work in this project is an attempt to reconcile some of the conflicting aspects that are of interest to me in the landscape. In much the same way as a colour will appear most luminous when placed next to a non-colour, i.e grey, or its opposing colour in the colour wheel, so it is in nature.
The images here are an investigation into how the most fragile elements seem to have their very existence challenged and their vulnerability magnified when set against the strength and solidity of their surroundings. Fragility can be conveyed in many ways. It can be expressed with light or shape or colour or movement and I hope this diversity is represented here. Paradoxically, fragile elements often appear to embody a tenacity and strength which refers back to the contradictions mentioned above. It is the embodiment of all these characteristics that I have tried to portray.
I am driven by an exploration of colour and form. Studied perfection is not my goal This landscape is chaotic and disordered and I have no wish to seek out an unblemished version of it. I am more concerned with portraying an interpretation than a literal representation of what I see before me and my objective is to create multi-layered images that depict the subtleties of the landscape around us."
The Lollipop Tree
"The classic lollipop shape of this tree delighted me, and reminded me of the wonderfully unselfconscious naïveté of a child's drawing. Its primitive shape seemed to be echoed by the leaves and the seed heads clustered around its ankles.
It's a Sussex tree through and through - one of many standing with quiet dignity in Stanmer park, just outside Brighton. I spend a lot of time there - mostly on the cusp of the seasons, looking for evidence of contrasts and contradictions. Because of the way I choose to approach my photography, I am totally at liberty to interpret colours in any way I see fit and images such as these particularly lend themselves to a child's way of working.
Here, the last gasp of summer gives way to an early autumn and I have chosen to exploit Mother Nature's colour palette to create a whimsical fantasy of indigo, ochre and pink."
Valda Bailey
We wish Valda every success with her exhibition. If you'd like more information on the tours and workshops that she is running then do check out this link.
Valda also has a beautiful book in print called 'Fragile' and we would highly recommend it. Follow this link to buy a copy