Spring has ushered in a time to celebrate health and wellness through exercise, meditation, music, food, and art! I am so excited that I get to participate in this incredible celebration! I will be there sharing my Children’s Book and Handmade Elephants, whose sales contribute to the health and wellness of the wildlife at Tigers For Tomorrow. Thank you for your support and I look forward to connecting with you at this exciting event Saturday, April 6th, 2019 from 9:00AM-4:00PM at Twenty-One Acres, 5505 Wire Road, Auburn, Al!
Christmas is Around the Corner!
Add a little Cheer to a loved one’s life by gifting them with this adorable Book and Forever Friend Combination! We are excited to introduce Finding Me Beneath The Kapok Tree, a heart warming picture book that inspires us to celebrate our individuality as well as the individuality of our peers. It also gives us the freedom to navigate our journey of authenticity without fear of failure or judgement. Moreover, we are proud to introduce, Teetles, our handmade Blue or Pink stuffed elephant who will embark on this wonderful journey with our readers. To learn more about Teetles, our Forever Friend and Finding Me Beneath The Kapok Tree, we encourage you to visit our Shop! Warmest Wishes and Happy Holidays!
CLICK ON THE IMAGE BELOW TO VIEW THE GALLERY
Magic is in the Air
I know it is a bit late but I wanted to share what I was up to for the Magical Month of October!
FREE ART FRIDAYS for the Month of October!!!
Hey Birmingham Friends! October has always been a magical month and I wanted to share some magic with my friends. So, every Friday I dropped off an original painting that was Framed and FREE somewhere in Birmingham. It was first come first serve. The only catch was that the recipient tag me either on Facebook or Instagram so that I knew it had gone to a happy home. This exercise was a fun and fulfilling challenge! A Very Special THANK YOU to Serendipity Boutique, Avondale Brewing CO., Lucky Cat Rolled Creams, and The Fig Tree Cafe for participating and supporting your Local Artists! My wish is that the magic continues throughout the upcoming year and inspires others to spread a little magic of their own in their unique way! If you or a loved one missed out on the giveaways and would love to add one of these paintings to your collection, then you are in luck! Identical Prints are available for purchase for only $20.00, and remember with every purchase made a percentage of the profit is donated to our Featured organization by Rebearth Publications!
-Thanks for Making the Magic Last!
Soul Expression Series: Self Portrait
Another painting that is nearly a decade old. I’ve learned that my process involves a willingness to start with a vision that often appears blurry or distorted and loosely sketch it out, then I step back until I am guided to put the medium to the material again, and this process continues until I feel the work is complete. It is a gradual evolution of idea and image that ultimately reveals itself to me and through me. This painting is an opportunity for me to see myself as I am. The black and white textured chaos of legible and illegible words is matched by a black and white depiction of myself. The texture manifests itself as scarring on my skin alluding to the harshness I experience as I sit amongst the black and white chaos of the world. The brightly colored harmony of spirit seeps into my hair and skin both healing and rejuvenating my sense of being. It appears that I am embedded in both worlds. The Hawk, Bison, and Snake all carry specific messages that guide and protect me as I find balance amongst the chaos. The bright yellow sun is symbolic of power and illuminates the unseen for cleansing. In this space I am present and at peace.
Untitled / 3'6"x5'11"/ Acrylic and Charcoal on Paper and Birch Wood/ 2018
Soul Expression Series: Making Rebearthling1
Introducing a painting that has been in gestation for nearly a decade. This Painting has several names, “The Red Woman”, “Release”, and “Making Rebearthling1”, but the names are not as important to me as the story. This Powerful painting was conceived during a time in my life when I experienced a series of consecutive heartbreaks. It is a depiction of my soul attempting to allow the heartache to “fly” through me so that healing could take place. Little did I know that at the time of the conception of both the pain and the painting, those experiences would “Make Me” rather than “Break Me”….And for that I am Grateful! There is FREEDOM in Forgiveness. Now that the pain has flown away my Soul can SOAR!
Red Woman / 24”x20”/ Acrylic on Canvas / 2018
Update: Laughing Lion Heart is Complete!
My heart is Full! I’m thrilled to say that my vision has been realized after what has nearly been two years of dedication. This painting will be featured in my latest “Soul Expression” series. So stay tuned for more information and original works by yours truly!
Laughing Lion Heart / 4’x4’ / Melted Crayon on Salvaged Barn Wood / 2018
Local Author's Expo!
I am both Excited and Honored to be participating in the Local Author's Expo at the Birmingham Public Library on Saturday August 11, 2018 from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. I am looking forward to seeing many happy faces at this FREE EVENT, and sharing the fruits of my labor with others who are as passionate about art and literature as I am!
Below is a photo and interview posted by Birmingham Public Library:
Meet Lauren Bailey, Author and Illustrator of Finding Me Beneath the Kapok Tree
Book: Finding Me Beneath the Kapok Tree (March 2018)
How to reach author: website: www.rebearthpublications.com; Facebook: Lauren Bailey; Instagram: Rebearthling1
Quote Bailey uses as a guide in life: “I have the nerve to walk my own way, however hard, in my search for reality, rather than climb upon the rattling wagon of wishful illusions.”– Zora Neale Hurston
In her new children’s book, Finding Me Beneath the Kapok Tree, Birmingham native Lauren Bailey chronicles the life of a baby elephant that searches for an identity all his own. She hopes that through his journey of self-discovery, readers will, like the baby elephant, learn that they too already have everything they need for success in life on the inside.
Bailey will be among 39 authors and publishers featured at the Birmingham Public Library’s 2018 Local Authors Expo at the Central Library on Saturday, August 11, 9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.
“I am beyond excited about participating in the Local Author’s Expo for the first time,” Bailey said. “This amazing opportunity gives me the chance to connect with others who are as passionate about art and literature as I am!”
Finding Me Beneath the Kapok Tree is simply about coming into your own by trying and failing, and celebrating the unique gifts others have to offer the world. Bailey said it was originally inspired by a close friend who was having her first child.
“I simply intended for it to be a gift and nothing more,” she said. “However, I happened to share this book with my sister before giving it to my friend. When my sister read it tears began to roll down her cheeks. She looked up at me and said, “You are the baby elephant.”
Bailey said she was taken aback because it had not occurred to her that she was the baby elephant.
“Then I realized that we all have been the baby elephant at some point in our lives or still are the baby elephant, and in that moment I realized that I needed to share this book with others,” Bailey said.
Bailey is graduated from Auburn University with a degree in art and a minor in Mandarin Chinese. She is passionate about inspiring others through creative expression as well as maintaining and preserving the integrity of this planet’s natural resources and the life it supports.
Bailey’s passion for wildlife and the environment was inspired by her late father, Brian T. Bailey. She donates a portion of her profit from every creative endeavor she undertakes to a different wildlife or environmental organization in his honor.
DONATION DAY: The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee
Just wanted you all to know what I've been up to these days! Can't wait to share more adventures with y'all!! I am thrilled to say that we were able to donate $640.00 to this incredible organization!! Dreams are Coming TRUE!!!
New NEWS!
It's no secret that our Book Release Party for Finding Me Beneath The Kapok Tree was a Great Success! I am honored and humbled by each and every person's show of support. Thanks to the incredible turnout we are able to donate $622.00 and growing to The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee! We still have book orders coming in nearly every day so I believe that number will grow between now and the time we write the check to The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee. Remember to keep your eyes pealed for new updates and the BIG reveal of our new featured organization who will receive the next donation. Thank you again for your love and support! Together we will all leave our own brilliant mark on this world by celebrating creative expression and supporting/protecting the life and natural resources this world has to offer.
Sneak Peak: Laughing Lion Heart
Work in progress: Laughing Lion Heart/4'x4'/Melted Crayon on Barn wood/2017
When approaching this canvas of salvaged barn wood that is roughly 4'x4', there was an undeniable pang of fear that forced itself to the surface of my awareness. That fear is probably one that most, if not all, artists experience at one point of their career or another. The fear started as a whisper but quickly became a booming voice, echoing in my head, "What are you going to put on this giant thing?" I closed my eyes, took in a long soothing breath, and in the garden of my heart was a magnificent lion. He was at peace and radiated a quiet strength that shifted me back into the present moment. It was in that space that I couldn't help but laugh at how I let a little voice grow into something so imposing, and I knew that the "Laughing Lion Heart" would take his rightful place on "that giant thing," the canvas.