Colorful collaboration: Artists paint in tandem to create original artwork

When a seasoned painter and a fledgling artist recently got together, they had no idea what they would create together would become something new in the art world.

Barbara Bailey of Marble Hill, Missouri, and Scott County artist Aaron Horrell both are members of the Cat Ranch Art Guild. Horrell says he is self-taught, and has painted and worked in photography for about 40 years. His Painted Wren Gallery is in downtown Cape Girardeau; his photographs and columns -- "Through the Woods" -- appear Sundays in the Southeast Missourian's Good Times section.

Bailey makes products from the dairy goats she breeds and raises, and spins her own yarn for weaving and knitting. Some of her goat milk soaps and lotions are on sale at the Painted Wren.

Last year, in January, Bailey took a painting class at the Southeast Missouri State University River Campus. After the class' conclusion, Bailey and some other class members wanted some more to do. The instructor obliged. The group began by spraying spray paint into a shallow tub of water; poster board or gessoes Masonite board is then immersed into the water, and the spraypaint adheres to it. That produced some swirls of color after it dried.

"I came ... and showed Aaron, and he asked if he could have one," Bailey said.

Barbara Bailey and Aaron Horrell pose for a photo Tuesday outside the Painted Wren art gallery in Cape Girardeau.GLENN LANDBERG ~ glandberg@semissourian.com Barb Bailey and Aaron Horrell pose for a photo outside the Painted Wren art gallery in Cape Girardeau Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2015. (Glenn Landberg)

When she returned to the Painted Wren, Horrell had outlined some scenes he saw in the paint. Bailey caught on to what he was doing, and added some of her own. Almost like magic, the two began working on the same 6-by-8-inch miniature paintings.

Sometimes one would paint over what the other had done previously. The two artists think so much alike that when that happens, no one's ego is bruised. Sometimes it takes input from one to make the other see what really was there all along.

What shows up are whimsical paintings featuring animals, landscape scenes, and hidden creatures that take a while before they pop out of the painting among the other features.

"We trade off back and forth and see what happens," Bailey said. "It can go on as long as we want it to."

Occasionally, Bailey said, Horrell might feel strongly about something he's painted and ask her not to change it. Bailey said she looks upon Horrell as her mentor, and sees his contributions to their projects as ways to learn from him. Horrell adds that, even after 40 years, he is still learning.

A framed BARBARON Mini sits on display in a Main Street window Tuesday in Cape Girardeau. (Glenn Landberg)

What they have created is something new that Horrell said could become recognized as a new form much the same as Impressionism did when Monet developed the style. Working in tandem on the same painting is rare, but it's something artists can do if they know each other well and think alike -- and in this case have the same type of sense of humor.

"We're not trying to outdo each other," Horrell said. "We're trying to work together to create something special."

One can spend a lot of time looking at one of their creations and not see it all at one glance. A horse wearing jeans may be front and center and off to the side, there's -- what? It looked like a mosquito, but Horrell said it's a helicopter. Either could be right, and it doesn't matter who is. What's important is that the viewer has fun wandering through all the critters and seeing a bit of landscape in the background.

An it all starts with some swirls of paint on a wet board and ends up conveying a sense of happiness and innocence that appeals to children and adults. Bailey said that sometimes when she's working on a painting, she bursts into laughter from what comes through her brush.

Horrell showed one predominantly pink whirl of paint he named "Candy Landslide." He said he could imagine a woman looking at it recalling her childhood, when she might have dreamed of a pink cascade of candy.

Aaron Horrell works on a portion of a collaborative painting alongside Barb Bailey Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2015 at the Painted Wren art gallery. Aaron and Barb's project is called BARBARON Mini. (Glenn Landberg)

The names are as creative as the works. One of the BARBARON Minis -- the name comes from the first four letters of her name and the last four of his -- "Sheriff Butterfly and his Wacky Posse" was selected to appear in the 2015 Arts Council Calendar.

Their paintings don't look like they came from two artists. Horrell said he believes one artist working alone couldn't do it. Other artist pairs might want to try to learn the BARBARON technique, but shouldn't expect their work to look like that of Bailey and Horrell's.

"We get along so well, we come up with some really cool paintings," Bailey said.

A range of BARBARON Minis is on display at the Painted Wren Gallery.