We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Bailey Gumienny a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Bailey, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?
No one ever sat me down and said “This is how you make art”. I never went to art school or took private art lessons. I was just a curious kid observing the world, finding fantasy in reality.
I’ve kept a sketchbook since I was 5 years old. Drawing and painting were initially tools for reflection and escape in my childhood. Honestly they still are. I’ve always considered myself an observer, taking in the wonder of the natural world. Growing up between Southern California and Florida the world was a playground of light and color waiting to be explored. I still find myself radiating this lust for life. An essential mindset for pursuing a creative path.
Putting yourself out there is the best way to make your dreams come true. Everyone always knows something or someone you don’t so be open and speak your truth because it might just turn out better than you could ever imagine. I’ve been extremely fortunate to experience a lot of incredible mentorship in the pursuit of my craft. Working with professional mid-career artists, learning from them one on one has been invaluable and I’m forever grateful to those who have extended a hand in my artist’s journey.
Personally my biggest obstacle has always been myself. I’m prone to over-thinking and sometimes that’ll lead me to quit before I even start. But I’m learning not to fear failure and instead embrace it as a step closer to success. When I allow myself to freely experiment and play is when I not only feel the most full, but seem to create the best work. I’m growing out of my own way slowly but surely.
Although I wouldn’t change my journey, I definitely could have trusted myself more to experiment and play. I still find myself reminding my inner critic that there’s no “right way” to paint, or make music, or create. That not every piece will be a masterpiece. Simply trust the process and live deliciously.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
More recently I’ve been using the term “magical realism” to better describe my work. My oil paintings are dynamic, dreamlike explorations of our physical and emotional landscape through portraits and figures. The dramatic color palettes and organic motifs, like sunsets and roses, insist that transformation is imminent and everywhere if we just look hard enough. I paint to discover magic in the mystery of everyday entanglements between people and nature.
I’ve always been fascinated with light and the power of color, from the sunlight dancing off the orange trees in the gardens of my youth to the technicolor faces in crowded bars on Friday nights. The vibrantly colored faces and figures in my paintings are forces of nature, challenging and actively engaging with the viewer. The works thrive somewhere between the known and unknown, within the duality of mystery and intimacy. These elements take center stage in the emotional energy of my work, on and off canvas.
Different narratives, ideas, and emotions, require different mediums of expression. From playing drums and writing songs, to collaborating on sculpture installations for music festivals to working on 50 ft murals in the city I live in, the sky’s the limit! My other services range from fine art commissions, to curation, art restoration, graphic design and more. I also offer prints, originals, stickers, beach towels, and other limited edition wares on my webstore.
Constantly meeting new people and hearing their stories heavily inspires all of my creative pursuits. In my youth I was intensely involved in the performing arts like theater and dance. The intricate stories, flawed characters and fantastical suspension of disbelief brought to life on the stage still inspire my work today.
Whether curating and installing art shows or organizing events, I’m always finding ways to creatively engage with the world even outside my art practice. This summer I’ve been working with the Sarasota Art Museum as a teaching artist for their kids art camp. It’s been exciting to reconnect with play as practice and inspire young minds to create in new ways.
In the spirit of play, I’ve been working through a summer series of oil pastel drawings. It’s been a refreshing way to create some simple textural works while still reflecting on cycles of nature and exercising my foundational drawing skills. In lieu of this personal project, I have a streetwear collaboration launching later this fall that has been a long time coming along with some incredible exhibitions and hopefully a few murals. The future is nothing short of abundant.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
Art is a universal language. Anyone can connect with a work of art. We’ve been creating art in caves while living for pure survival since we were primal nomads. We worship the divine in temples encrusted with mosaics and stained glass. Our need to observe, reflect, and capture stories is in our DNA. Art is the most human practice we have.
This transmutation process of creating and actualizing ideas is absolutely its own reward.The satisfaction of meeting a challenge, of having a vision and seeing it through fills my cup and nurtures my spirit. I think everyone should make art whenever possible. Whether that’s a painting, a meal, a song, a kiss. That connection between people and ideas and each other is priceless.
What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?
It starts with you, go to your friends events! Engage with the community wherever you live! The easiest thing you can do is show up. It (usually) costs nothing and means absolutely everything.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://baileygumienny.com/
Image Credits
Audrey Bolton JMC Photography Savannah Levell Alex Kaufman