Artists

Steve Baylis

Allow the complex layers of Steve Baylis’ artwork to captivate you. His bold and intricate paintings will draw you in to investigate their rich details, then cause you to stand back to consider them as a whole. Building layers of oil and wax glazes with transparent pigment, before responding to them with final passes of gestural brushwork, Baylis’ artistic process is unique. Each original artwork takes months to complete and is informed by his own intuition, memories, experiences, and feelings.

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“Art is about more than just aesthetics, it’s about connecting people. My goal is to create art in which viewers can get lost and leave their current problems behind, if only for a moment.”

Artist Inspiration

Influenced by his own spiritual inquiry, Baylis draws on a personal meditative practice and seeks to reflect energy itself, in what he describes as a complex expression of a simple thought.

Baylis also explains that his works offer a sense of escapism: “We’re inundated with images every day, whether it’s advertising, lifestyle images, influencers trying to persuade us to buy something or compare our lives to the unrealistic. But I want my art to be an escape from that.”

Contemporary Abstract Impressionist Artist Steve Baylis Painting

Artistic Process

Baylis works through a specific process, developed by combining knowledge of academic painting, conceptual and abstract art, and a personal meditative practice.

Starting with wood panel, Baylis bleaches and stains his base while preserving the wood’s grain. Next, he applies numerous layers of a translucent wax and oil-paint glaze, creating subtle color and luminosity.

Finally, he’ll apply thousands of brushstrokes of oil paint. Each mark is intentional and meticulously placed, with a goal to create a painting rich in depth, color and rhythm.

Contemporary Abstract Impressionist Artist Steve Baylis Mixing Cold Wax with Oil Pait

Influences

Baylis names a handful of artists that have been key influencers in his art career, including Mark Rothko, Tom Thomson, Gordon Smith and John Singer Sargent.

The Five I's Mantra

Baylis’ mission is to combine Intention, Imagination, Intuition and Intelligence to Improve the lives of others. His very own manta, this defines him and provides guidance in both art and life.