Artist Spotlight – Bailey Underwood

Bailey Underwood loves Americana and flea market finds, and often incorporates these themes into her work. Her studio at the Art Center has stacks of old Life magazines on the desk, and she’s drawn to the shop signs and skylines found in small towns. 

Pen and ink are what Bailey reaches for when she makes art. “That’s what I love most, just drawing,” she said. She also paints with acrylics and spends some of her creative time as a live wedding and event painter. She sets up her easel and canvas, gets her paints ready, and spends hours painting during a live event, capturing the moments in the day.

Art has always been part of Bailey’s life. As a kid, she worked with pen and ink or charcoal with her dad, who was also an artist. “Me and my dad would sit down and draw, just from life, like still portraits of whatever we had in front of us.” She says she still does that now, carrying a sketchbook with her everywhere she goes.

She’s currently reminiscing about her time living in Hawaii, and is working on getting photographs and memories of that time onto her canvases. 

Growing up in Danville, Bailey’s involvement at the Art Center goes back to her childhood. “We came here for different classes and whatnot,” she said. Bailey worked at the Art Center too, in a few roles before taking her art-making full-time. She’s now pursuing her art as a hobby again, taking the pressure off her creativity and seeing where it takes her next. 

Bailey’s studio is on the second floor at 401 W. Main Street, so be sure to take a peek at her creative process next time you visit the Art Center. The public is welcome to visit our artist studios and see what they’re working on anytime.