2025

“IMPRESSIONS OF CITY AND COUNTRY” – Segue Community Hub and Arts Café, Stratford, Victoria. 1st – 29th June 2025.

“Impressions of City and Country” takes viewers on a journey through contrasting urban and rural settings. Inspired by locations across Melbourne, Gippsland, and other destinations encountered in my travels, the paintings explore the vibrancy of city life alongside the peacefulness of the countryside. Scenes of buildings, cafés, shopfronts, and music venues are set against wide-open landscapes featuring mountain views, quiet roads, and scattered farmhouses.

2025

“Wall of Frame” featured artist: The General Foodstore, Emerald, Victoria. 31st March – 24th May 2025

2024

Places I have Been, Things I Have Seen – WAS Gallery, Warragul, Victoria. 16th Nov – 21st Dec 2024.

This exhibition takes the viewer on a journey through some of the “places I have been and things I have seen”. I heard Peter Garrett use that phrase at the final Midnight Oil “One For The Road” concert at the Palais Theatre in 2022 and I immediately related to the simplicity of that statement. Although my work can be quite detailed, I take a simplistic approach to painting by depicting my subject “as I see it”. I was born and raised in Melbourne but relocated to the country over thirty years ago. I still visit the city regularly, so my paintings reflect both rural and urban life, inspired by my own photography. For this exhibition, I chose places and scenes that have left an impression on me in some way. Some are from Gippsland where I live, others from my travels around Australia and America. The structural paintings of buildings are detaild and complex while the rural scenes are less structured, more simplistic portrayals of my local surroundings. Old buildings, cafes, shopfronts, pubs and farmhouses are juxtaposed with the peaceful surrounds, mountain views and meandering roads of Gippsland and beyond, perhaps reflecting my own life which combines both city and country.

JOHNSTON STREET AND BEYOND – Thin Slizzy, 115 Johnston St. Collingwood. 14th – 28th Nov.

My latest exhibition at Thin Slizzy takes the viewer on a tour along Johnston Street which is dotted with many interesting bars and buildings and spans three suburbs: Fitzroy, Collingwood, and Abbotsford. The journey also extends beyond Johnston Street to include other Melbourne suburbs. Some of the buildings are well-known, others are places that people pass by without a second glance, but they all have some little quirk or interesting feature. Many of these buildings no longer exist, but using my own photographs as a painting reference, I hope to breathe new life into them and preserve some of their history.

LOOKING BACK, LOOKING FORWARD – Brunswick Artists’ Bar, 316 Sydney Rd. Brunswick Victoria. 3rd Nov – 1st Dec 2024

This exhibition spans seventeen years (2008 – 2024) and includes old and new works from the beginning of my career to the present day, showing my progress as a painter. I currently live in Gippsland, but I was born and raised in Melbourne and still visit the city regularly. The majority of the paintings in this exhibition are focused on buildings and locations around Melbourne. I love to paint buildings with character; weathered storefronts, music venues, pubs and other iconic structures – anything that catches my eye or tells a story. This, along with a lifelong love of music, has influenced much of my work and continues to do so. I love bringing these buildings to life and preserving their history, as many of them have changed or no longer exist. The two portraits are my earliest works (created in 2008) and are the only ones that remain from my music icons series.

“Wall of Frame” featured artist: The General Foodstore, Emerald, Victoria. 1st – 28th July 2024

CITY TO COUNTRY – West Gippsland Arts Centre, Warragul, Victoria. 6th May – 2nd June 2024

A collection of urban & rural landscape paintings.

CITY TO COUNTRY takes the spectator on a journey exploring the parallels and differences between urban and rural settings. Some of the subjects are from Melbourne where I grew up, and others are from the Gippsland region, where I live now. I was born and raised in the suburb of South Oakleigh in Melbourne, but for the past 33 years I’ve lived in the country. My early years in Melbourne exploring the city left an impression on me, and this, together with a lifelong love of music, has informed much of my work. I’ve always been drawn to grungy structures with character such as weathered storefronts, music venues, alleyways, train stations and other unique buildings – places that most people would pass by without a second glance. Since moving to the country, I’ve found inspiration and many parallels with some of the buildings. Years later, as a painter, I’m finally able to capture these scenes, reveal their beauty, and give them life. I’m drawn to places with interesting histories, and I’m passionate about documenting them before they vanish.

FROM HOME TO HOME – Station Gallery, Yarragon, Victoria. 3rd – 28th April 2024

“From Home to Home” depicts the contrasts between Melbourne’s urban surroundings where I spent the first 25 years of my life, and the rural countryside where I have resided for the past 33 years. The structural paintings of buildings and urban scenes are detailed and complex while the rural scenes are less detailed and more immediate – a simple representation of my home environment and travels on the road. Grungy buildings, weathered storefronts, music venues and laneways which all left an imprint on me in my early years contrast with the peaceful surroundings, mountain views and winding roads of Gippsland and beyond. I have also discovered several buildings from the Gippsland region that bear similarities to Melbourne structures, and they are included in this exhibition.

TAKE A LOOK AROUND – Mr. Burch, McKinnon, Victoria. 1st – 28th March 2024

In this exhibition I invite visitors to “take a look around” and come on a journey through Melbourne and regional Victoria. The focus is on structures and buildings; some of the subjects are well-known Melbourne landmarks, while others are from Gippsland, where I live. All of these locations evoke memories for me and tell a story.

2022

“REAL LIFE” – Thin Slizzy, 115 Johnston Street, Collingwood, Victoria. 27th Oct – 23rd Nov 2022

The “Real Life” exhibition includes paintings of urban landscapes that explore some of my favourite places, and still life paintings focused on music-related objects. The collection includes some of Melbourne’s most iconic music venues, as well as other buildings and structures that catch my eye and tell a story. Musical instruments and vintage microphones are depicted in the still life paintings. Despite their reputation for making noise, when placed on an uncluttered background, these objects appear to be captured in a state of stillness, drawing attention to the objects themselves.

2022

“A SENSE OF PLACE” – Bendigo Bank, 282 Lygon St. Carlton, Victoria. 22nd Feb – 18th March, 2022

“A Sense of Place” explores the themes of location, structure, belonging and attachment Our sense of place is not only geographic- it can also be a feeling or perception, often determined by personal experiences and social interactions which in turn create memories and a sense of familiarity. The attachments we make to a particular place can even become part of our identity. Our sense of place was affected during COVID and continues to be affected as we are still experiencing restrictions, social distancing, and, for many of us, a different way of life. This exhibition explores some of my favourite places; places that I have loved spending time in which have created personal memories for me, and others that I look forward to visiting again.

2020

CITY & COUNTRY – Meeniyan Art Gallery, 84 Whitelaw Street, Meeniyan, Victoria. 6th Feb – 30th March 2020

2019

Mr. Burch, McKinnon, Victoria. August / December 2019

2018

SNAPSHOT MELBOURNE – Marios Cafe, Fitzroy, Victoria. 27th Nov – 17th Dec 2018

2017

CITY, SUBURBS AND BEYOND – Mr. Burch, McKinnon, Victoria. 1st – 30th March 2017

2016

Rust Emporium, Briagolong, Victoria – November 2016

Urban Crafter, Fitzroy – September 2016

2016

FROM PLACE TO PLACE – West Gippsland Arts Centre, Warragul, Victoria. 30th March – 6th May 2016

2015

BEYOND THE FACADE – Little Woods Gallery, Collingwood, Victoria. 14th August – 5th September 2015

2015

FACADE – Marios Cafe, Fitzroy, Victoria. 24th Feb – 9th March 2015

2014

AS I SEE IT – Burrinja Cafe Gallery, Upwey, Victoria. 13th June – 27th July 2014

2013

Banc Cafe, Docklands – August 2013

Wellington Entertainment Centre, Sale – September 2013

2013

URBAN BLEND – Marios Cafe, Fitzroy, Victoria. 30th July – 19th August 2013

2013

URBAN DETAIL – Tacit Contemporary Art, Abbotsford, Victoria. 19th March – 7th April 2013

2012

URBAN MIX – Marios Cafe, Fitzroy, Victoria. 9th – 30th April 2012

JOINT EXHIBITIONS

2018: THREE PALETTES – Bailey, Masin and Roberts. City Library Gallery, Flinders Lane, Melbourne, Victoria. ABC Interview

2014: REVISIT – Masin and Bailey. Gippsland Art Supplies Gallery Space, Sale, Victoria

2014: Pop Up Gallery with Helen Masin and Ken Roberts. Shop 19, Gippsland Centre, Sale, Victoria

2013: COLLABORATION – Bailey Masin and Roberts. Yarragon, Victoria

2013 – LAND SEA STRUCTURE – Masin and Bailey. Gippsland Art Gallery, Sale, Victoria

2012: PLACE – Bailey, Masin and Roberts. Tacit Contemporary Art, Abbotsford

2011: Exhibition with Helen Masin at Wellington Entertainment Centre, Sale, Victoria

2011: DIFFERENT VIEWS – Masin and Bailey. Meeniyan Art Gallery, Meeniyan, Victoria

2011: INTIMATE STUDIES – Masin and Bailey. Courthouse Gallery, Stratford, Victoria

2010

2010: DIFFERENT SPACES – Masin and Bailey. Maffra Exhibition Space, Maffra, Victoria

© Pauline Bailey