RICHARD J. BAILEY

PSYCHEMY

Psychemy is a word I made up to describe the process of creating illustrations of my own psyche. Rather than clarify text, these drawings have no preceding narrative, leaving them up to interpretation by the viewer.

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I don’t sketch anything out to begin with. Instead, I simply stare at the blank page until an image begins to reveal itself to me. Once the idea has congealed into specific pencil lines, I draw over them in ink to finalize their forms. Through this process, what was at first very vague becomes increasingly more specific, slowly revealing itself to me through the passage of time.

These communications from my subconscious eventually develop fully into detailed works that ask the viewer to invent their own story to explain what they are looking at.

Separation Anxieties from the Psychemy seriesSeparation AnxietiesMarionette from the Psychemy seriesMarionetteAfter the Party from the Psychemy seriesAfter the PartyIn the Museum from the Psychemy seriesIn the MuseumHarlequin from the Psychemy seriesHarlequinThe Ibis from the Psychemy seriesThe IbisThe Stone of Folly from the Psychemy seriesThe Stone of FollyLa Répétitrice from the Psychemy seriesLa RépétitriceSheep in Wolves Clothing from the Psychemy seriesSheep in Wolves ClothingUp Late from the Psychemy seriesUp LateBetween the Walls from the Psychemy seriesBetween the WallsUnnecessary Surgery from the Psychemy seriesUnnecessary SurgerySchlepping Towards Bethlehem from the Psychemy seriesSchlepping Towards BethlehemThe Scepter from the Psychemy seriesThe ScepterValentine’s Day from the Psychemy seriesValentine’s DayGlockenspiel from the Psychemy seriesGlockenspielHat Trick from the Psychemy seriesHat TrickIn a Dark Wood from the Psychemy seriesIn a Dark WoodThe Smoking Robot Returns from the Psychemy seriesThe Smoking Robot ReturnsWhat I Feared Is Near from the Psychemy seriesWhat I Feared Is NearTime Flies from the Psychemy seriesTime FliesPygmalion Redux from the Psychemy seriesPygmalion ReduxInner Self from the Psychemy seriesInner SelfFamily Portraits from the Psychemy seriesFamily PortraitsSisyphus from the Psychemy seriesSisyphusNight Racer from the Psychemy seriesNight RacerLost Box from the Psychemy seriesLost BoxProbable Selves from the Psychemy seriesProbable SelvesGhost Light from the Psychemy seriesGhost LightGondola from the Psychemy seriesGondolaGrowing Up from the Psychemy seriesGrowing UpThe Plague Doctor from the Psychemy seriesThe Plague DoctorTheatre from the Psychemy seriesTheatreDevouring Mother from the Psychemy seriesDevouring MotherPaperwork from the Psychemy seriesPaperworkBats from the Belfry from the Psychemy seriesBats from the BelfryOops from the Psychemy seriesOopsBad Magic from the Psychemy seriesBad MagicTodo Modo from the Psychemy seriesTodo ModoRabbit’s Revenge from the Psychemy seriesRabbit’s RevengeHave an Egg from the Psychemy seriesHave an EggIn the Laboratory from the Psychemy seriesIn the Laboratory