Tuesday, April 12, 2011

The Hunt for Terry Bailey

Terry Bailey - if you're out there, let's talk.

Some ten or eleven years ago, I ventured to Victoria, B.C. by ferry. One of the artists on the waterfront was Terry Bailey, and his work was so stunning that I did something I simply do not do- I actually bought a piece of art. To this day, his work is the only piece of art I have paid for.


I'm not a art fiend. I know next to nothing about art. But there's something that spoke to me about his work. And so I've packed the print from my home in Blyn, to Guilin, China, to my room at the University of Washington, and to Tianjin, China. It followed me when I moved to Redmond. And the glass broke on the print, and it survived a brutal attack from our cat, and then the edge was torn... I slipped it into the front of the binder I used most to protect it. I have hauled it from every living location since its purchase.

Two weekends ago I went back out to Blyn to sort through my family's stuff. When my father died, everything that was in our home was pushed into the wood shop and locked up. We all met up with the sole purpose of weeding through all of our treasures. I found something super exciting that day: the pamphlet that came with my favorite watercolor.

That pamphlet describes the symbolism in the painting, as well as the history behind the artist. And it has his full name.

It smells musty. And the pages have started to tan. But there it is, the contact information to my favorite artist. So I googled his name, found nothing. But when I imaged searched his name, this is what showed up:

The image was found at Radaris. But I believe it was taken by this person.

And there he is, the person I bought my sole piece of art from. And to his left? The blue picture? That's the piece I've been hauling around.

So now I know his full name. And I know he was still selling pictures as of 2010. I'm hoping that he's still doing well, and that business has been good to him. And I'm hoping that the next time I'm in Victoria, he's there.

17 comments:

  1. I just pulled up your blog post while doing my own search for him. I bought three pieces from him in 2009 or 2010 and when I went back to Victoria this past weekend I was specifically hoping to find him on the waterfront so I could pick up more. It was later in the afternoon and some artists were packing up and already left (about 4:30pm) and I didn't see him.

    Randomly I was going through numerous boxes of 'important papers' today to wittle them down before my apartment move, and I came across that same pamphlet he gave us along with our prints. No information re: where to contact him though and I haven't found anything online yet. I'll let you know if I have any luck- let me know if you do! intenseliaison@gmail.com

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    1. Terry is alive and well. Still creating and selling his beautiful work in Creston BC

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  2. Sharron, London, UKMarch 13, 2012 at 5:50 PM

    Hello Wishingbee...I have stumbled here in same way. I bought one of Terry's pieces whilst on a lone trip to Victoria back in 2006. The piece i bought of "Mother Earth" has been on my wall ever since as a lovely reminder of my trip. I only just found the pamphlet that came with it by chance when sorting through some old papers tonight, as I am moving home soon. I googled to find out what Terry was up to and found the same photo and then your blog. It would be so wonderful if we could get our well wishes to Terry somehow as there seems to be a lot of respect for him and his work here. I have some friends in Vancouver so will contact them to find out if they know of him. With kind regards, Sharron, London, UK

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  3. IntenseLiaison, I'm so sorry I missed your comment. If I see him again I'll email you! I might make a special trip to try to find him soon, as I live pretty close and I love, love, love Victoria. I'll be sure to post about it, and let you both know what I find out.

    Sharron, thanks for the comment! It seems like he should have a website, or at least be on Etsy- somewhere, anywhere, where his fans can connect with him and support his work. I think I'll print out this post and both of your comments and bring them with me when I make my trip. I'm sure he'd love to know he has fans all over the world. :)

    Best wishes to both of you!

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  4. I just bought a Terry Bailey today, in Ponoka, Alberta. Àlong the path of the Spirit` but it doesn`t say when it was done. It seems like the owners of the shop may know more perhaps. I think it was the only piece of his they had there though. I absolutely have nowhere to hang this lol. I really love the piece you have Julie V.!

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  5. Juli V we were just in Victoria this past weekend and Terry Bailey is still selling his art! As people have said his art speaks volumes, what an amazing character cant wait to add more to my collection
    Cheers
    Christine

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  6. He is still selling his art!? Does he have a website? I also bought two of his pieces of art about ten years ago in Vancouver. I live in Wisconsin and am looking to buy a third. I found his pamphlet with all of his information, but now it is outdated. The pamphlet said he was at Water Colour & Ink Paintings http://members.xoom.com serenescenes and at email lonewolf@coastnet.com however I can't seem to reach/find him on either. If you find any information on him please email me at fillch16@gmail.com

    Cristina

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  7. I ran into a man at a shop in Fernie who told me he's living in Radium now. Stunning work.

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    1. He does currently live in Radium. Purchased a piece and spoke with him last week in front of the Radium Gift Shop.

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  8. I just purchased 3 gorgeous paintings from Terry July 30, 2014 in Radium B.C. I very quickly discovered this Gentle Soul is living 'The Truth' & knows 'The Spirit'. I could have conversed with him for hours but am honored with the short exposure I had!

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  9. August 3,2014
    I just bought one of his original paintings today in Radium BC. Was out for a walk while on vacation and walked by his display. His work is beautiful and just had to buy something. Enjoyed a great chat with him as well.

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  10. I would love to buy some artwork of Terry's. I met him in Victoria once and was hoping that he might still be there when I went this year but sadly not. If anyone knows where I can hold of his work please could you let me know I am a huge fan of his but unfortunately I don't live in Canada.

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  11. Bump.......

    Any new info on Terry?

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  12. This is a wild little article and how we all have randomly stumbled upon that pamphlet he gave us! That exact thing is what has brought me to this blog! I never bought art before buying one of his pieces. It spoke so strongly to me and I've been always taken care where to display it. So happy to have stumbled across this.

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  13. I bought a piece over a decade ago and I’ve been trying to track him down to buy more!

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  14. Does anyone know if Terry is still in Radium?

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  15. Terry is alive and well and hes still creating and selling his beautiful work in Creston BC. He is not a fan of technology no cell phone, computer or even an email address. His work is however stunning as ever <3

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