Philip J. Baird

For the last six years, Phil has focused on drawing and has recently published his book 'Simple Complex Drawings'. Starting with a blank page, Phil begins by making marks and gradually things appear. Drawing on both his memory and imagination, he fuses the two together through his mark making process. The title of 'Ponta Cherry Blues' is derived from a rendition of a folk song by Canadian group 'The Be Good Tanyas'. Phil finds it difficult to describe visual work in words and so uses musical metaphors to help him articulate his ideas. When asked about the title for his recent exhibition at Bethlem Gallery, 'The Silence of Sawn Wood', Phil said, 'It indicates a happening, a poetic image. As you view the work you imagine the process involved, like a form of synesthesia. The imagined landscapes come from a conscious dreaming state, much like the Jungian concept of Active Imagination. With each piece I try to make a little world. The silence bit is to do with meditation, I find the making process a quiet, reflective one.'