M. E.'Mike' Bailey Art

"Fall to Grace" is an original ink and watercolor painting on paper mounted to wood by artist Robert Kraiza measuring 19in height x 9in width. Artist Statement // In my work I invoke a whimsical world inspired by Victorian and Edwardian eras. To me they represent a romantic time period that has roots that extend directly into the modern world, both good and bad. The customs and aesthetics of the period are both fascinating and breathtaking but a vast portion of the population was victim to subjugation. It has since been eradicated on paper but still permeates to this day. I am exploring an imagined supernatural world hidden just out of sight where these woman could escape. This is an evolution from my earlier work set in the same time period with a continuous thread of humans and their animal companions. Through witchcraft these women find strength in their abilities and each other to leave the oppressive world they inhabit behind and escape to the woods to their Covendom, the boundary that defines the territory of their coven. They shed their customs, their corsets, and their concerns at the edge of the forest and gather among the trees to explore their magical potential with their familiars at the side. This body of work is exploring multiple media with a consistent theme and setting; combining watercolor painting, pen and ink illustrations, and graphite drawings. All pieces are created in monochrome on hot press watercolor paper mounted on wood with a gold painted border reminiscent of daguerreotype frames. Watercolor allows me to achieve results ranging from soft ethereal layered washes similar to oil glazes to precise minute details I include in all of my works. Bio // ROBERT KRAIZA (pronounced: cry-zuh) is an illustrator and fine artist who lives and works in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He studied Media Arts and Animation at the Art Institute of Philadelphia. Interested in many media, he often paints in monochrome watercolor on a small scale, inspired by the Victorian era and whimsical dreams in both his art and personal aesthetic. Depicting fantasy worlds from the hidden life of nineteenth century witches to miniature children...

Colorful study of grape leaves in autumn with abstracted elements and a pink/magenta background by California artist Les (Leslie Luverne) Anderson (American, 1928-2009). From the est...

Watercolor of a pink rose with a stem on laid paper by Barbara Gibson (20th Century). Presented in a double mat in a modern silver frame. Signed "Barbara Gibson" and dated "1989" in ...

Charming watercolor of red and green apples with an interesting composition by P. Dymond (American, 20th Century), circa 2000. Signed upper right corner. Presented in a metal frame. ...

Architectural Floral Wallpaper Fragment 19th Century Italian hand painted floral design wallpaper lined with linen, in gold leaf framed.

Lovely abstracted floral watercolor painting of bearded irises by artist Jean Warren (American, b. 1945). Signed "J. Warren" lower edge, bi...

Born in small-town Wisconsin, Garek’s work is an exploration of his beginnings and experiences living in Metropolitan New York and Chicago and the people who affected his life. The h...

Roses Still Life Watercolor by M Boyer Cooper 1915 Water of bouquet of Roses by California artist M Boyer Cooper circa 1915. (aunt of Opal Nelson Dean). Signed lower right "M. Cooper...

Duchándome and Duchándome, En Cuerpo Ajeno, May 29th, 2018 by Celso Castro-Daza From the Duchándome Series Watercolor and ink on an archival paper Individual size: 19.5 in. H x 13.7...

Pity, June 4th by Celso Castro From the Duchándome Series Watercolor, ink, and pastel archival paper. Image size: 19.5 in. H x 13.75 in. W 2018 ____________ Undefined by medium, Celso Castro’s works each carry the presence of the artist’s hand through the transparency of their process. Castro’s oeuvre is strongly divided between his photomontage assemblies and watercolor paintings: the prior is marked by the labor-intensive deconstruction of portrait photographs and the latter, by the seemingly frenzied recreation of a past encounter rendered in the drips and scribbles of paint and ink. Both discriminating in what they reveal of the subject, his photomontage and watercolor portraits exude raw sexuality through the combination of Castro’s mark-making and gaze. Celso Castro’s work is a bare-bulb erotic photo...

Xiao Wen Xu is a Chinese-born Canadian artist based in Toronto, Canada, Her artistic practice is deeply influenced by her profound appreciation for the natural world. In her series, ...

Duchándome en Cuerpo Ajeno, May 29th, 2018 by Celso Castro-Daza From the Duchándome Series Watercolor and ink on an archival paper Image size: 19.5 in. H x 13.75 in. W Unframed ____________ Undefined by medium, Celso Castro’s works each carry the presence of the artist’s hand through the transparency of their process. Castro’s oeuvre is strongly divided between his photomontage assemblies and watercolor paintings: the prior is marked by the labor-intensive deconstruction of portrait photographs and the latter, by the seemingly frenzied recreation of a past encounter rendered in the drips and scribbles of paint and ink. Both discriminating in what they reveal of the subject, his photomontage and watercolor portraits exude raw sexuality through the combination of Castro’s mark-making and gaze. Celso Castro’s work is a bare-bulb erotic photo...