Artist Roy Bailey returns in spirit
And his kids are joining him for a show on island
BY MARLI GUZZETTA INDEPENDENT ARTS EDITOR
With a studio on Old South Wharf, Roy Bailey hung by a kite tail to the outgoing Nantucket Arts Colony. He was an artist whose brushwork not only depicted but also came to define the island. When Bailey passed away four years ago, he left behind a body of oil and watercolors now in the personal collections of some of the island's most prestigious collectors. But his greatest legacy was the love with which he colored the lives of his friends and family, and especially his children, Nantucket natives Vicki, Lydia and Stuart. This week, when Vicki and Stuart display their artwork alongside their father's at Le Languedoc, each piece will be doubly secured, by nails and also by memories.

The Baileys on Nantucket. From left: Vicki, Roy, Lydia and Stuart

"I had a really bad dry spell after my father passed away. I couldn't paint, because I missed him so much. That's what we did together; our relationship was founded on it," remembered Vicki Bailey Cooley, who now lives with her husband and three teenagers in Florida. "I had this jug that my dad used to use to hold his studio door open, and I had some of his ashes put in it. So one day, I put it under my easel for inspiration, and I created this big colorful piece called 'Bucketful.' And it got me to thinking I needed to have a show."

Vicki Bailey Cooley's "Nantucket Corner"

Last September, Cooley traveled to Nantucket to paint. She created a series of images nostalgic of Nantucket, including one of Brant Point Lighthouse, where the Bailey family dedicated Roy's ashes to the sea.

While on island, Vicki also visited with Languedoc co-owner Alan Cunha, one of Roy's old friends.

"Before my dad was going to move off island, he and Alan talked about doing a show to see him off, at Le Languedoc, but it never came to fruition," Vicki remembered. "Alan said, 'What better way to pay tribute to a good friend than be supportive of his children?'"

And so the date for this show was set, almost 20 years to the day after Vicki's first show, which happened here on Nantucket, courtesy of Roy's old friend and gallery owner, Jimmy Barker.

Like his sister, Stuart Bailey remembered summers on Nantucket spent sketching in contented silence alongside his dad.

From left: Stuart Bailey's "Afternoon Sail" and "Boats"

"He'd take me sketching out on the hills, and he'd give me my own pad and pencil, and that's how I learned to draw and paint," said Stuart, who is now a successful graphic designer living in South Florida. (You can see some of his work at Stu-Art.com.)

Stuart recalled that, as a young man growing up on the west coast of Florida, all he wanted to do was move to California to surf, which he did - earning more than a living designing for companies like Viacom and Sony.

"I spent most, if not all, of my career working as an art director and graphic designer, but I've always known how to paint and draw, and did it on the side," Stuart said. "But when my dad got sick, I decided I wanted to follow in his footsteps. …I had everything I needed, just needed to get the paintings done."

Stuart said he and Vicki have been discussing for some time now hosting a three-man show with their father. (Lydia, they both insisted, is very much a part of the artistic family tradition, but manifests her talent in media other than the visual arts.)

"We figured it would be a great opportunity for old friends to get together and see each other. … People get together for weddings and funerals; why don't we do that normally? This is a nice opportunity for that," said Stuart, whose style - a playful and colorful realism done mostly in acrylics - has been influence by his artistic icons: Edward Hopper, Richard Estes and his father.

Like her father, Vicki works in oil and watercolors.

"I always paint things that are comforting … soothing," said Vicki, who is hanging 25 of her watercolors. "I hope the paintings show a sense of appreciation for Nantucket, because it's where I was born, and I always had good times there, and it's where my panting developed. On Nantucket, my dad and I would paint for hours, not talking to one another, and it was really special, and I missed that. So that's what this show is about for me: reconnecting with Nantucket and carrying on a tradition that my father started."

In addition to Cunha, other old friends of Roy's have been opening their arms and doors, like Nelson and Sandy Doubleday, who are toasting Vicki and Stuart (and their acclaimed stepmother, chef Nancy Barr) with a cocktail party before the show.

The Bailey family will display 15 pieces from their private collection of Roy's works, which exhibit a mixture of joy and tender stoicism - traits that Roy applied in his outlook on his work and on life, and which his children inherited during those shared hours painting and sketching.

"He always said, just do the painting, and everything else will fall into place," Vicki said.

"He always preached that you don't paint for the money. … Don't paint what you think you're supposed to paint," Stuart added. "He'd say, 'Paint from your heart, and you'll get the best results." I
When:Opening reception, Mon., July
30, 3 - 6 p.m., with paintings hang
ing through Aug. 6.
Where: Le Languedoc, 24 Broad St.
Cost: Free
For more information, please call
228-2552.