My name is Marion Bayliss and having only moved to Lancashire in 2022 from Somerset, I decided to become a member of the Southport Contemporary Artist to meet other like minded artists who also exhibit in the Arthouse, East Bank Street.

Painting has become my sanctuary so to speak. I started painting while still in school under the guidance of the new art teacher who encouraged me to further my education in art at the Somerset College of Art in Taunton. I studied window display and gained a diploma in exhibition design, but after 3 years I decided it wasn’t for me and I dropped out from college. I continued to paint a little but work took priority and then I met my husband and later had a family to look after so my art went on the back burner for a long while. 18 years later I took early retirement from work and decided to take it up again by joining my local art group and haven’t looked back since. We held annual exhibitions in our local church during Somerset Art Weeks which was where I was lucky enough to meet a collector of my work. I also have other collectors here in Lancashire and in Poland.

I enjoy using acrylics, watercolour and oils depending on the effect I want to achieve with each piece of work.
 

When I’m working in my studio in Much Hoole, I like to take inspiration from nature and places that I know or have seen.  Once I have an idea I then decide how I think I would proceed and what media to use to get the effect I hope to achieve. Sometimes it works and sometimes not but when I do succeed I will sometimes try it in a different medium or style until I am content with my efforts. I am currently experimenting with a more abstract style which I am trying to practise and develop into something that I am pleased with. I also enjoy working with Charcoal producing images of animals with character.