David Bailey was born in Kernville, CA, in 1950. His father was in the drilling and blasting construction business, so the family lived in many towns and cities in the state of California. Most of the time, however, he grew up in Glendale, CA. He met his wife, Katherine at Glendale College, and they both went on to California State University, Los Angeles. David received a B.A. in American Studies.
He worked his way through college as a construction worker, security guard at J.P.L., and cook at Bob’s Big Boy. When he and Katherine moved to New Mexico, he continued in cooking and restaurant management while his wife finished getting her education at the University of New Mexico. David and his wife returned to California, and he then began his twenty-seven year career in the San Bernardino County Marshal’s (later merged into Sheriff’s) Office as a Technician. He was honored as the Employee of the Year in 2001. When he retired in October 2005, he received a plaque from the Superior Court Judges, a framed certificate of appreciation from the Sheriff, and the proverbial engraved pocket watch. All through the years, David loved amateur photography. He and his good friend and boss Gary Avance took a class in photography at Barstow College in the late 1980’s. David enjoyed learning how to use SLR cameras and especially learning how to capture light, texture, and shadow in black-and-white photography. He used the 35mm format for the black-and-white picture in this show, but he has grudgingly started using a digital camera for most of his color photos. He resisted showing any of his work publicly, but his wife insisted. Lo and behold, he actually had two of them published, sold some, and won “honorable mention” awards. He says he’s just an amateur having fun, but maybe that is the core of the art spirit.
