Portraits of Veterans by Laura Taylor
Memorial Day- Laura Taylor
We are proud to represent Laura Taylor, Petty Officer First Class US Navy. Laura stays continually active with Veterans groups and she loves painting portraits of Veterans.
Laura exemplifies the wide range of Americans that serve and have served in the US Military. She approaches her art with the same determination and dedication that she practiced while serving our country.
I encourage everyone on this Memorial Day Weekend to remember all our Veterans, active duty service members, and all our first responders. They are willing to give their lives for us, the ultimate sacrifice.
Here is Laura in her own words:
Laura Taylor
As we move into this Memorial Day Weekend, I always take time to reflect on those who have given the ultimate sacrifice for our country and thank their veteran families for their support.
A veteran is a person who wrote a blank check payable to the United States of America for an amount up to and including one’s life.
Throughout my career as an artist I have had the privilege of drawing and painting many of these faces and being able to personally thank them for their service. Every Veteran has a story and no two stories are the same… I am always amazed how each portrait reflects that.
As a United States Navy Veteran myself, who has had many family members who served as well, I feel that my families “need to serve” for this great nation comes deep from our roots. My painting, Essence of Growth, is a self-reflection of what my time in the service means to me. Deep love for our country, rooted into the ground I proudly walk on, with a continued mission to spread that energy with love and respect.
I have been creating paintings and drawings in a variety of mediums since 1988. I have been selling commissioned art since 2010 and instructing classes since 2014.
In 2017, I was selected to be one of ten veteran women featured in the Women Veteran Art Exhibition, a unique collection of art that toured many Veteran Hospitals and partnering corporations such as Starbuck’s Coffee.
I have been published in several art related books including: Stars & Stripes, The American Flag in Contemporary Art, and participated in a companion exhibit to the book, Stars and Stripes: Zenith Salutes the Flag.
In July 2018, I exhibited in the Parallax Art Fair in London, England. In recent years I have started a Veteran Portrait Program with a mission that states “To gift portraits to our Veteran Community as a way to give back… and thank them for their Honor, Commitment and Courage!”
In 2019 I had the privilege of hosting in partnership with the Veteran Art Institute the second Women Veteran Art Exhibit at the Jesse Brown VA Medical Center in Chicago.
My story has been featured by Geico as part of their Military program with a commercial that was specifically produced to air during the 2017 CNN Heroes Award Ceremony with emphasis on PTSD.
Sincerely,
Laura Taylor
Laura Taylor
Stars & Stripes: The American Flag in Contemporary Art, a book by Ashley Roony celebrates America by featuring the art of sixty-four artists and their representations of the American flag and other patriotic symbols in their art.