Working predominantly in Oak and Redwood, Walter Bailey sculpts with wood, creating intricate patterns using hand tools, chainsaws and fire. A lover of nature, Bailey usually works where he can enjoy an abundance of nature around him. Much of his work is largely or entirely comprised of lattice patterns which suggest the interaction between nature and human-beings.

“For me these patterns became a way to map my place in the World. The more I learned of the cosmos, the macro and the micro, the more I understood that I was observing a vast intelligence.”

His work is often finished by scorching the surface of his work with fire; the resulting blackness giving them a patina of age that ties in with the spiritual expression that is central to his work. The scorching also acts as a natural preserve for the wood - similar to techniques used in ancient temples.

"The focus of my work is humanities relationship with nature, celebrating our links with the dynamic cycle of the seasons and exploring thresholds on the life journey.”

Walter Bailey's sculpture can be found across the globe - in a vast range of public and private collections. Closest to the Sculpture Garden, Bailey's series of 'markers' across the Surrey Hills may be the most familiar to our local visitors, and London viewers may recognise his work on Park House - Oxford Street.