Artist, walker, observer of landscape, storyteller. Katy's work is a diary in paint, inspired by the landscapes, woodlands and skies of East Anglia.

When did you first start painting and how did you discover pastel as a medium?

I feel like I have always painted. As children it was either drawing, dressing up or playing in the garden.

When we were young children we would visit maternal grandparents in Holland for 6 weeks every summer. The first thing Oma would do when she picked us up from the airport was to drive us to the supermarket to buy sketchbooks and pencils.

When I was 9 a wonderful teacher called Mr Jackson held up a drawing I had done of a hare in crayons, my path was set in that moment.

I went to Cambridge art school, 1978-82, to study Illustration and Graphics, the life drawing room was my favourite room, this was where I first discovered charcoal and compressed charcoal. As I got braver I started to add colour with pastels.

There was something about the immediacy of picking up a colour, holding it in your hand and putting it straight to paper. It was four years of drawing and experimenting.

Immersion, 90x120cm

How do other artists know the difference between a high quality pastel and a low quality one?

I would say its to do with texture, there are some pastels that crumble and break as you draw, they're too dry. Some are too scratchy. Unison colour pastels were one of the first to be hand rolled and made from natural pigments and they felt right to me. They are very creamy, even the tiniest piece can still be used without breaking or crumbling.

What artists outside of the pastel world inspire you and what type of artists, galleries and exhibitions inspire you?

I loved Freud, the weightiness of his paintings. Lautrec when I was at art school - he used pastel to sketch but to me they looked finished with a lot of energy and movement in them. Also the pre-Raphaelites, Millais in particular.

I also collect friends art works. I have a lot of talented friends that inspire me.

I live in Cambridge and we have the wonderful Kettles yard house and gallery, such a peaceful place full of paintings. Of course, there is also the Fitzwilliam, where I found Millais 'Bridesmaid' art, full of symbolism and meaning.

A place of keeping

What keeps you driven and inspired to create art?

I had a dream, to be a member of the Pastel Society, it took 10 years to get there. The society was founded by Degas and Whistler, Rodin and Brangwyn.

It helps to have a goal to work towards, deadlines for open calls help to give focus. I think if you have a creative mind, its incredibly difficult to not paint.

Nature inspires me hugely, I wrote a blog called the soul of a landscape, on my website, which explains why it is so important.

Blend

Looking back on your artistic journey so far, what is the one lesson that took years to learn but has had the biggest impact on your work?

I think probably that we never stop learning, every art work is a lesson in how to improve. Also the more you create, the more flow you get, it becomes second nature. Try not to compare yourself to others, you are unique. Not everyone will like your work. It doesn’t matter that they don’t, focus on creating for yourself, no one else.

Finding a way through

What advice can you give to artists starting out, or maybe not feeling inspired?

I like to think of the phases when I don’t feel inspired as my chrysalis phase. There is something growing in my mind that can’t be rushed or forced to the surface. It could be that a scene has triggered an idea I am not aware of yet or I am ready to grow, change palette, size or subject. In these times I just wait until it emerges.

For artists just beginning, I would say just draw as much as you can, go to classes, carry sketchbooks around, use drawing as a way of recording everything you are seeing. Write notes, talk to other artists, immerse yourself in art, exhibitions and galleries. Just start... it can be daunting looking at a blank page in a sketchbook but it doesn’t have to be perfect.

Sometimes we set an unrealistic expectation of how we want our drawing to look. It will never look like that, it changes as we draw, so the best thing is to just start.

Use good paper and good pastels. There is nothing worse than producing a great drawing on bad paper. Its ok to fail, it’s a learning curve.

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Katy Bailey explores light, memory and our relationship with the natural world. Elected Member of Pastel Society UK 2026. Winner – West Design Award in Pastel Society 2025. Peoples Choice award – Cambridge Drawing Society. Featured in Pastel Journal US 2026. Associate artist with Unison Colour. Discover more on Katy's website.