Oils

If Bailey Escapule has a gift for capturing the soul of western life, it's because it is in his blood. Six generations of Escapules have made their home in the rugged country of southeastern Arizona. The family has been involved in both ranching and mining in the Tombstome area since the 1870s.

Bailey earned a bacheler's degree in geological engineering from the University of Arizona in 1979. Always active in art, it was in 1992 that he made a career change to become a full time artist. He has taken oil painting workshops from Mark Daly and Dan Beck and workshops from several sculptors including Bruno Luchessi and Sandy Scott.

Although he says his art doesn't have any message, it only takes one look to see that it does. It speaks of the wild places of the West through a unique Escapule pioneering tradition. HIs subjets are the wildlife and people of the West - kit foxes beneath a palo verde tree, a lizard carved from the same stone on which it is perched, a slouching coyote or glimpses of mining and ranching life.

What he enjoys most is figure painting, which includes vendors encountered in outdoor markets and other interesting people involved in their day to day activities.

Now that he has moved to the Salida area of Southern Colorado, Bailey is excited about the new challenges of portraying Colorado's landscapes and wildlife, and continuing his figurative work as well.