Tomiko Bailey

“Nature never reveals the exact same scene again: light, colors, shapes constantly shift with time. It is thrilling and rewarding to be painting outdoors, tiptoeing around the canvas to capture my impression of the landscape while realizing that I am part of it. Every scene exalts feelings and creates a state of mind. My intention is to paint a scene so open and unlimited by the frame that the viewer feels free to enter.”

As a child in Japan Tomiko loved collage, drawing, watercolor and she received top awards in three city art competitions. She taught herself for many years hoping to find a great art teacher some day. In her mid twenties, she moved to San Francisco and met her husband who was raised in the art world. Together they went to many art events around the world. They moved to Tokyo for eight years to live Japanese art and culture. Tomiko was attracted to study the aesthetic style of Zen temple cuisine along with the occasional tea ceremony in magnificent settings. She taught Temple cuisine in Tokyo and California for eight years and her students loved studying this artful cuisine of health, taste and beauty.
A great desire to paint arose again in her heart in 1997 while watching her daughters growing up with dance, music and art here in Moss Beach, California. That year she painted still-life scenes and landscapes with acrylics. She slowly gravitated to classes in drawing, watercolor and oil painting. She met excellent teachers and was encouraged to join the California Academy of Painters where she learned “plein air” or “open air” painting. She favors the “alla prima” technique of completing a painting in a single session with thick coats of oil paints, a method used by many impressionists.She loves painting outdoors. It’s exciting for her to capture fresh impressions and to depict as much as possible in a few hours on location. California offers numerous beautiful places to paint with intense light from the sky accentuating the earth tones. Plein air painting allows her to work with concentration and spontaneity. She also works comfortably in the studio to compose larger paintings, which are mostly expansions of the smaller field studies.

ARTIST’S MEDIUMS AND STYLES

Oil paint
Plein-air and still life painting

ART STUDIES

Academy of Art University in San Francisco, Ca.
Ovanes Berberian Workshop
Ken Auster Workshop
California Academy of Painters
The Palo Alto Art Center
College of San Mateo

AFFILIATIONS

Oil Painters of America.
Laguna Plein Air Painters Association.
Los Gatos Art Association.

EXHIBITIONS & EVENTS

"Alameda en Plein Air" Gallery Exhibition
Frank Bette Center for the Arts
August 1st to 30th, 2008.
www.frankbettecenter.org

Alameda 2008 Frank Bette Plein Air Show
Jackson Park Outdoor Show
July 19th 2008
www.frankbettecenter.org

Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History
"Plein Air Affaire 2008"
Invitational Paintout & Show
July 12th and 13th 2008.
www.santacruzmah.org

Santa Cruz Art League's "Poems without Words"
Juried Show
May 31st to June 29th 2008.
www.scal.org

Carmel Art Festival 2008
Juried Paintout and Show
May 15th to May18th 2008.
www.carmelartfestival.org

Los Gatos Art Association Annual Juried Show 2008
At the Los Gatos Art Museum
April 3rd to May 2nd 2008.
www.losgatosmuseum.org

Los Gatos Art Association Annual Juried Show 2007
At the Los Gatos Art Museum
October 25th to November 30th 2007.
www.losgatosmuseum.org

Los Altos 2007 Plein Air Painting Competition & Show
Main Street Cafe & Books, 134 Main Street, Los Altos, CA.
September 21st to October 31st 2007.
Awarded 2nd place by Triton Museum Executive Director and Senior Curator George Rivera

Committee For Green Foothills' "Nature's Inspirations" Exhibit.
Sunday September 2, 2007 from 4:00 pm to 6:30 pm.
 www.greenfoothills.com
 
Central Coast National Fine Art Competition in Morro Bay, Ca.
Presented by the Morro Bay Art Association Gallery
August 10 to September 16, 2007.
www.morrobayartassociation.org

Mother Lode National Art Exhibition in Placerville, Ca.
August 12 to August 26, 2007.
www.placervillearts.com

Frank Bette Center For The Arts Plein Air Paintout, Alameda, CA.
July 17th to 20th 2007.
Open Air Exhibit and Sale at Jackson Park in downtown Alameda on July 21st 2007.
Exhibition held at The Frank Bette Center the entire month of August 2007.
www.frankbettecenter.org