Meet Shauna Bailey

We had the good fortune of connecting with Shauna Bailey and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Shauna, we’d love for you to start things off by telling us something about your industry that we and others not in the industry might be unaware of?
I think what blows my mind about live painting is that it ultimately a grouping of some of the most difficult tasks an artist can take on. That is something that even I didn’t understand at first, despite having been an artist for most of my life. If you ask any professional painter, painting live with changing lighting and shadows is one of the trickiest obstacles you can face. That’s why the subcategory of plein air painting, or painting in open air, has so much prestige around it in the art industry. On top of that, painting for a live audience is somewhat unheard of in the art world. You’re adding in variations in your environment that you can’t control, tipsy guests getting a little too close to the canvas, answering complex art questions while you’re painting with a time limit. Keep in mind that most artists do either landscapes OR portraits, it’s rare that an artist has mastered both. Then you add in that painting white and black fabric is one of the most difficult things a portrait artist can take on, and now you are including a bride and groom in those colors in ever unpredictable lighting conditions… it’s really about as complex of a combo of painting skills as you can get.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Any good artist will tell you that there is always more to learn. I look at a finished painting and I don’t see what others see, I see all of the struggles and obstacles I faced while creating it, and think of all of the ways I can improve next time. One of the most difficult parts of being a full time artist is presenting your work as if you are completely happy with it, despite the fact that one of the literal definitions of being an artist is never being satisfied or done with a piece. So much of being a successful artist is about controlling that narrative. It’s about insisting on what would make a good painting, and finding ways to explain that expertise and perspective to a non-artist audience. I have dozens of brides and grooms who have requested things that would simply kill a painting. Hundreds of guests for example, while that may work in a photo, too many figures in a painting reads like a battlefield scene to the eye. It’s these kind of decisions that separate the okay artists from the really good artists, but it can be difficult at times to convey that to a technology-driven world. In a time where teenagers are watching multiple YouTube videos at once, true artistry is understanding that art only begins when you approach from a “less is more” perspective. This encompasses so much of the process, from what colors you bring to live paint, to understanding where to position the figures in a painting, to having enough self control to not “overwork” a painting. There is so much thinking and analyzing that goes on behind the scenes in a painting, and I think that lesson is one that is never learned, it only ever evolves as you grow as an artist.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
LA has the best food options by far, there are so many choices here and there’s always something new to try. Right now my fiancé and I are really into having movie nights at vintage theaters, we love the Vista Theater in Silverlake and the Old Town Music Hall in El Segundo. And then of course, we end most date nights with a visit to Leo’s Taco Truck because it’s the best Al Pastor in California and you can’t convince me otherwise.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I honestly would not be where I am today without my Fiancé, Matt. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve come home from a wedding absolutely exhausted and questioning how I can face another six day work week, and he’s right there helping me relax and reset so I can take it all on again. And I really owe my start to the Drumwright family, they are close personal friends who generously gave me the seed money I needed to start my business. Without them I wouldn’t have been able to spend the first couple of months building my brand and exploring my options as an artist. And of course my family and friends, they’ve been there rooting for me for this entire journey, and have been so kind and understanding when the exhaustion of running a business gets the best of me.

Website: https://www.baileyartstudios.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/baileyartstudios/

Other: www.tiktok.com/@bailey.artstudios 

Image Credits
www.melissafechapmanphotography.com