This Montreal artist turned a watercolour hobby into a new calling, post-retirement
John Bailey had a successful career in marketing packaged goods, but now that he's retired, he's found another calling.
"When people say 'it's beautiful,' they're making comments [like], 'I love your art,' I'm going really?" he said.
He began taking art classes at night while he worked, but since retiring in 2018, he has more time to pursue his hobby. It wasn't until the third wave of the pandemic in 2021, when many were feeling isolated that Bailey decided to share his watercolours on Facebook.
"My intent wasn't to sell my art, it was to post it," he said. "To my surprise, I was getting hundreds of likes and lots of good comments, and that sort of spurred me on to do it."
His work focuses on scenes from around the city.
"I started innocently with a statue nearby where I live, and to my surprise I got a request for a print almost immediately from someone who used to gather around that statue with her girlfriends."
With each piece he'd share, JBailey began hearing countless stories.
"I walked by Ms. Kim's depanneur regularly because I live near where she is. I took a picture of her watering the plants one morning, and again I did my ink and watercolour," he said. "I posted the scene of Ms. Kim, and to my surprise, not only was there an outpouring of, 'I love Ms. Kim, everyone knows Ms. Kim,' but then, 'Can I get a copy?"
With many neighbourhoods changing, Bailey is immortalizing memories for Montrealers through his art.
"The old abandoned factory down on St. Ambroise that has the little pink house on top, everyone talks about 'la maison rose.' I've sold quite a few copies but when I first posted it, again I thought, 'I don't think anyone is going to like this,' but there was a lot of likes, and a lot of attachment from the neighbourhood, they better not tear it down, they better not build condos," he said.
The reaction is what keeps him going.
"It made me think, 'Oh there's something here. What I'm doing here is more than just a nice drawing,'" he said.
He's even gotten a like from a former Habs GM.
"Marc Bergevin, he liked it," he said.
He sells his art to former Montrealers living elsewhere, but for those still in the city, he prefers to deliver the pieces himself.
"I've gotten a lot of joy in watching these people smile when they take it out of the envelope," he said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6979388.1722030190!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
Celine Dion delivers stirring comeback performance at Paris Olympics opening ceremony
Against the rainy Paris night sky, Celine Dion staged the comeback of her career with a powerful performance from the Eiffel Tower to open the Olympic Games.
Jasper wildfire: 'Several weeks' before residents can return, premier says
Premier Danielle Smith said Friday afternoon in Hinton while weather conditions are cooler, the Jasper fire is still considered out of control and that Jasper residents can expect to be away from their homes 'for several weeks.'
Missing 3-year-old boy found dead in creek in Mississauga, Ont.: police
A three-year-old boy has been found dead a day after he went missing in a park in Mississauga, Ont., Peel police say.
Irish museum pulls Sinead O'Connor waxwork after just one day due to backlash
An Irish museum will withdraw a waxwork of singer-songwriter Sinéad O'Connor just one day after installing it, following a backlash from her family and the public, it told CNN in a statement on Friday.
Winnipeg senior's account overdrawn for $146,000 water bill
A Winnipeg senior is getting soaked with a six-figure water bill.
FBI says Trump was indeed struck by bullet during assassination attempt
Nearly two weeks after Donald Trump’s near assassination, the FBI confirmed Friday that it was indeed a bullet that struck the former president’s ear, moving to clear up conflicting accounts about what caused the former U.S. president’s injuries after a gunman opened fire at a Pennsylvania rally.
Driver charged after flashing high beams at approaching police
Orillia OPP arrested and charged a driver with impaired driving after flashing their high beams.
Turpel-Lafond won't sue CBC over Cree heritage report that took 'heavy toll': lawyer
The lawyer for a former judge whose claims to be Cree were questioned in a CBC investigation says his client is not considering legal action against the broadcaster after the Law Society of British Columbia this week backed her claims of Indigenous heritage.
Major Canadian bank experiences direct deposit outage on payday
Scotiabank says it has fixed a technical issue that impacted direct deposits on Friday morning.