Object Description
‘Sacred Palms’, 2019 (2024)
Archival Pigment Print on Museum Glass, Hand gilded with Rose Gold leaf, 23.4 carat, custom framed
Taken on Hikkaduwa Beach, Sri Lanka as the sun was setting; casting its golden rays along the beach…
The image endeavours to celebrate of the noble presence and elegant sway of the ubiquitous palm tree. The palm tree has many symbolic meanings and in this image I have tried to highlight its association with immortality and regeneration with the addition of gold leaf. The majority of Sri Lankan identifies as Buddhist and the spiritual associations gave me the title.” – Valda Bailey
The piece from the palm series here, although contemporary has also a dose of Art Deco and Art Nouveau style in visual and technical aspect of gold leaf gild on glass and inspired by natural forms such as the sinuous curves of plants and flowers; a sense of dynamism and movement, often given by asymmetry or whiplash lines.
Valda Bailey (b.1958) is a British artist and photographer. Her work is greatly informed by her background in painting and influences come as much from artists as photographers. Her objective is less about portraying a literal representation but rather conveying feelings evoked by the landscape and she achieves this using multiple exposures and intentional camera movement.
“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
All Prints on glass are editionned but each piece is unique due to the hand gilding process;
Each piece is individually hand finished by the artist with gold, silver or copper leaf giving the piece its own unique and contemporary style.
The piece from the palm series here, has also a dose of Art Deco and Art Nouveau style in visual and technical aspect of gold leaf gild on glass and inspired by natural forms such as the sinuous curves of plants and flowers; a sense of dynamism and movement, often given by asymmetry or whiplash lines.
Valda Bailey’s work has been featured in national and international publications. She has exhibited widely in the UK and in 2015 was the first woman to be invited to join six other photographers to exhibit at the biennial Masters of Vision at Southwell Minster.
Her work is held in numerous private art and photography collections.