Daisy Bailey was born in Toronto in 1921 and died in 1972. She spent her early years in Toronto and then moved to London, Ontario where she studied at the Beal Technical School. Bailey began her career in ceramics and painting, but later worked almost exclusively in copper enamel.

The format and media of the work displayed here link it to David Chavel’s work. The artist explained, “The subjects of the two parts of the mural are the ‘Blizzard’ and the ‘Thaw’. The ‘Blizzard’ side is largely white, based on a lack of extreme tonal contrast. There are vast numbers of shades of white which take the place of tonality. When depth of tonality disappears, minute gradations of tone become very important and colour variations take an important role. The other side of the mural is the reverse-extreme tonality based on the illusion of depth produced by transparent enamels. This makes the ‘Thaw’ seem more colourful, although it is actually not and probably has less colour.”

Daisy Bailey standing beside her piece, Blizzard/Thaw, during the installation, 1968
Government of Ontario Art Collection
Archives of Ontario

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Blizzard, [ca. 1966-68]
Daisy Bailey
enamel on copper, mounted on wood; two panels
Government of Ontario Art Collection, 619779

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Thaw, [ca. 1966-68]
Daisy Bailey
enamel on copper, mounted on wood; two panels
Government of Ontario Art Collection, 619779

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