For Roseburg artist Julie Anderson Bailey, art has become a way to make sense of life's biggest changes.
Bailey said creating art has helped her process life experiences, including divorce, the death of her partner from cancer and, more recently, the loss of her mother to Alzheimer's disease.
She has considered herself an artist since childhood, discovering that many of the colorful patterns she doodled as a young girl still appear in her work today. During the COVID-19 pandemic, daily sketching became a way to manage anxiety.
Her "Biology Rising Series" emerged from an interest in biology and the life cycle of freshwater algae. The installation features hundreds of hand-crafted circular forms made from tissue paper, vintage sewing patterns, wire and beeswax. Bailey said the organisms' cycle of mothers and daughter colonies inspired her to explore themes of birth, death and renewal.
"Art is how we figure things out. It's how we express joy, grief, sadness, happiness — all of it."Julie Anderson Bailey
After her mother died, Bailey accepted an opportunity to create a large installation for the Eugene Public Library. Completing the project required making nearly 1,000 individual pieces in just a few months.
She said the repetitive work gave her a reason to get up each morning and provided structure during an emotionally difficult time. The creative process also gave her space to reflect on memories of her mother and work through her grief.
Bailey said she also finds inspiration in other people's work, whether she's visiting museums and galleries or watching artists share their creative process online. Seeing that work, she said, creates a sense of connection and reminds her that art is one of humanity's oldest ways of telling stories and expressing emotion.
VIDEO: Julie Anderson Bailey creates her "Biology Rising Series"
Guest
- Julie Anderson Bailey, artist
