Jay Bailey was born in Reno, Nevada in 1976. He has a BA in Fine Art from the University of Nevada in Reno, undertook post-baccalaureate studies at the San Francisco Art Institute and has his MFA from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

His work is a figurative approach to depicting the human animal in all of its grace and monstrosity. As a product of the western United States, he employees an iconic language that invokes the culture and history of the west, as well as, a western approach to storytelling and myth. Known for its violent and sexual energy, his work is a visceral assault on the conventions of power, the individual, and freedom.

He has shown work in group and solo shows in both America and abroad. He has also taught general and advanced drawing, figure drawing, painting, watermedia, and digital photography classes at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

He currently lives in Austin, Texas with his wife, daughter, and old dog.