Lauren Taylor creates images of profound beauty in a time when beauty has nearly been forgotten. Her paintings capture the eye and focus it on a subject constructed of vibrant colors and bold brushstrokes; oil paintings that are alive with laughter, curiosity and contemplation. Persuasive portraits of the human experience through rose- colored glasses. They offer a visual place of rest, free of the clutter of everyday life. Like many artists, Lauren’s artistic roots run deep. She started painting as a child and began taking first prizes for her art at age seven. Her talents won many awards from the National Easter Seals contest at age ten to a year long traveling exhibition called the “Governor’s tour”- age sixteen, to name just a few. In 2001 Lauren Taylor received a number of scholarships that would cover the full cost of her education at Kendall College of Art and Design . In her first semester at Kendall College Lauren took on a number of challenging commissions including the cover and more than 25 illustrations throughout the children’s book Top of the Hill, (published by Hilltop Express) a book created for use in the curriculum of Elementary teachers nation wide. She was selected to produce the artistic inspiration and logo for a national Missionary Association and that same year she received her first solo show at the Shiawassee Arts Council in Michigan. In 2002 Lauren Taylor studied Renaissance art in Florence, Italy at SACI- Studio Art Centers International. Her first hand experience with world famous masterpieces such as Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel and Botticelli’s Prima Vera helped to shape her sense of realism and founding in traditional, Renaissance practices of painting. Lauren has taught individuals and classes of all ages since 1997 in Fredericksburg, Virginia where she was raised and throughout the state of Michigan. Lauren Taylor graduated with a BFA in Fine Art in May, 2005 and currently lives and works most of the year in Grand Rapids, Michigan and spends the rest of her time seeking inspiration across the US and in Europe. Her work is represented by ArtSource Gallery in Raleigh, North Carolina, the Adam Whitney Gallery in Omaha, Nebraska and the Lucas Gallery in Telluride, Colorado. She has had numerous solo and group exhibitions throughout the United States including Chicago. Lauren’s work is collected both nationally and internationally and has sold in Canada, Italy and Australia.