As The Old Bailey Gallery's July 2026 artist-in-residence, Holly Overton explored Birmingham's vibrant live music venues, North Alabama's cascading waterfalls and more unique spaces where energy flows freely. The artist could be seen regularly sketching in public, translating impressions of the Alabama experience onto paper. The paintings and drawings in "Surface" comprise a body of work inspired by these explorations, all created on site with The Old Bailey Gallery serving as the artist's studio. 

Originally from the barrier islands of North Carolina, Holly Overton is a painter and musician living and working in Brooklyn, NY. Prior to her Birmingham residency, Holly received her MFA in painting from the New York Studio School. Her work oscillates between the space where performance happens and the performance of painting. Vulnerable, playful and reckless expressions of desire set the stage in anticipation. 

An opening reception included a live music performance from Holly. Throughout the residency, barriers between her visual art practice and her work as a songwriter were blended and unified into a cohesive creative vision. The opening night event represented this merging of sound and vision in Holly’s approach to her art. 

https://hollyoverton.com/