By Brandon Park
Staff Writer

On January 17, The House of Representatives read and adopted a resolution honoring and remembering the life of renowned artist Jackson Bailey.

Bailey resided in the City of Rutledge for 34 years prior to his death in July of 2004 at the age of 76.

He was born in Atlanta on March 21, 1927, and despite being born with anemia and catching pneumonia as an infant, Jackson survived. Polio struck Bailey when he was 17 months old, and it was thought at that time he would never walk. As a young man in the early 1960's, Bailey suffered from multiple strokes and heart attacks.

In the 1970's, he was accidentally shot by an antique pistol. He also underwent major surgeries to have a brain tumor removed. These trials and struggles for life have developed Bailey's capacity to accept experiences and use them to formulate concepts that are gigantic contributions to art and humanity.

As a boy, Jackson visited the corner of Boulevard and Auburn Avenue in Atlanta, where, according to the resolution, he played marbles with his childhood friend, Martin Luther King Jr.

Throughout his artistic career, Bailey painted countless works on canvas, and performed designs and illustrations for several publications, gaining a reputation for his uncanny ability to depict movement in a still image. Bailey is best known for "The Life of Christ", an 11 foot by 1000 foot oil painting that is registered in the Guinness Book of World Records as being the largest oil painting in the world.

Bailey's work is on display at the Jackson Bailey Art Center located at 192 Fairplay Street in downtown Rutledge.