Whilst Seagull Man sounds like the perfect South-East superhero, it is in fact the alter-ego of local artist David Bailey who has an undying love for the arts and of course – seagulls.
David has recently been gaining a lot of love for his paintings on Facebook, and CommunityAd were lucky enough to have a powwow with the artist himself and find out how he got his unique and humorous nickname.
Born in Gillingham, Kent in 1960, David explains he wasn’t very academically inclined at school but harboured a skill and love for art which led to a career as a graphic artist, before leaving to pursue his lifelong dream of making a living from his paintings.
David reminisced telling us: “I have always painted and wanted to be an artist when I grew up… One day I’ll get there. My father always encouraged me to follow my heart; I love him for that.
“I have exhibited in many galleries and also peddled my wares on peoples’ doorsteps; it was hard work but it kept me fit and I met some lovely people.
“My paintings have been sent all over the world which makes me feel very proud even though they are probably still sitting in drawers. I have always loved seagulls, the childhood memories of lovely simple holidays, no money but the excitement of hearing the gulls knowing we were at the seaside and could torture my sunburned brothers by putting sand in the bed.
“My artistic inspirations come purely from having fun, that’s the whole point of art, if it has to be explained or have a reason for it, it is a failure. Art should be a frivolous thing to bring joy, not much else in my opinion. A comedian who has to explain his jokes has failed so my art has no real explanation.”
How did you get the name Seagull Man?
“The name Seagull Man was given to me by a little girl who recognized me when I was shopping so it’s kind of stuck; and I do love seagulls.
“My inspirations come out of my head, nowhere else. I like to sit and watch and do most of my paintings from memory as that allows me to be inaccurate enough to leave the rubbish out, cheat and have fun.
“My paintings take longer to think about than paint and generally take between 15 minutes to a couple of days. I love painting the areas around Whitstable and Thanet mainly because I know them so well and to make the lovely peeps laugh.”