The Art Of Tammy Bailey AT FORTY FIVE Magazine Issue R 2021 12

AT FORTY FIVE MAGAZINE /08
When Ellen retired from teaching paint nights,
several of the ladies who attended regularly
asked Tammy to start teaching art at paint
nights. Which she did for a few years.
“I hope to start again once we see the end of
this pandemic and to teach smaller groups in
my studio.
Paint nights are a wonderful way to be
creative. It’s a community of women (and
men) that come together to do something
that they’ve never tried before and have fun.
Also, the participants in these groups grow
together, bond, tell stories and share their
experiences. It is an honor to hear the women
share about their life, their hopes, and their
dreams. It is a really cathartic way to spend
three hours and decompress. Many of the
participants are just coming from work and
they just want to enjoy themselves for a few
hours. Personally, “I can’t think of anything
better to do.”
Tammy pretty much paints everything but she
loves landscapes, waterscapes, whimsical
animals, and painting commissions. “I really
love when people honor me with photos of
their family, and I get to capture those
intimate moments for them.”
Getting Started
“As a child, I was creative. As I got older, I
enjoyed doing crafts and sewing. At Christmas
family and friends would look forward to my
gifts because they were always handmade.
Then I started working with beads and
making jewelry. People absolutely loved them,
so I continued with jewelry passing my
creations forward in the way of gifts. I never
really pursued it on a commercial level.
I love music and played guitar from a young
age. I completed my first two years of a
Bachelor's in Music Degree in my late teens. I
returned to college in my 40’s and took a
Counselling Support Skills Program. With this
certification, I needed to do an extensive
practicum. This practicum took me to a local
women’s services where I was co-facilitating a
group of women with an amazing artist. Her
name is Deborah Putman. It was her art that
started to draw me into wondering if I could be
an artist. What I saw in her art and how she
expressed it inspired me to really want to
create in this way.
I co-facilitated with her for about 5 years in a
support group called “Women of Power And
Passion” through local women’s services in
White Rock, Canada. These women had come
from abusive backgrounds, and it was a huge
eye-opener for me. I was also at that time,
volunteering through the Elizabeth Fry Society
one day a week at a Support Recovery House.
That was a heartbreaking, eye-opening
experience. I learned some very humbling and
important life lessons. For a long time, I
thought I might become a counselor, but when
I am painting, I am my most authentic self.
I think the most important thing with my art
honestly, is being able to share the joy that I
experience while painting. Seeing the joy when
somebody connects to a piece of art that they
love, is passing forward joy in the truest sense.
It’s just so wonderful."
Growing Up
"I was born in Canada. My dad was a dreamer
and packed the family up and moved us to
Central America. I had a very interesting
childhood. We’re going back now 45 years. My