Mike Bayliss was born in London and studied painting at art school during the early 1970’s. He worked, for a number of years in art and design activity with special needs adults and in interior and graphic design and is now concentrating again on his fine art practice.

Bayliss immigrated to Israel in 1999 and continued with part time studies in painting and drawing at the Jerusalem Studio School and in classes with artists Amir Rubin and Caron Lipchin.

He has exhibited and sold work online and in England, Israel, Bulgaria and Singapore, now working from his home studio near Jerusalem.

“In recent work I have been exploring life within my contemporary urban landscape in Israel and my previous habitat of London. I also use the motifs of the figure and city/landscape to communicate something of more universal issues of identity and sense of belonging.

I am drawn to work in the gap between realism and abstraction, finding resonance in the words of British artist Dennis Creffield in his approach to his subject – ‘I am not interested in creating an illusion of reality but in trying to find a substantial form for it’s substantiality – an image of actual experience.’

I explore through various mixed media techniques including digital manipulation but mainly enjoy expression through the beauty and language of paint.”

Mike Bayliss