JULIAN BAILEY is highly acclaimed for his brightly coloured, seemingly effortless paintings and drawings. Over the last five or six years however, Julian has been working extensively from the model in his studio, enjoying the economy of drawing made essential by the   drypoint technique. 

‘The etchings are made in small groups of twelve usually by me on a hand-turned press. A few I select to be ‘over painted‘ in gouache, making each coloured etching a one-off picture. The greatly simplified line of the diamond tip scoring into the metal plate gives off a beautiful black velvety mark, which is the unique hallmark of Drypoint. This compliments the brilliant quality of the gouache paint to make the special combination that goes into these artworks. There is also a book of etchings to accompany my work in this exhibition, called Hold the Pose, which is available from the gallery.’