Come visit us at this fun horse show loaded with holiday spirit in Springfield, Ohio. We’ll be on hand with spooky art, a traditional Dia de los Muertos display honoring our beloved pets, beautiful new products and gift items to kick off the Christmas holiday shopping season. We’ll be at the show all day from Friday, October 22 through Sunday, October 24, 2021.
Last week I attended the American Horse Publications conference in Texas. It was an amazing opportunity to meet other media professionals who share a lifelong passion for horses.
I had quite a collection of Breyers growing up. (Okay maybe I still have every single one of them in boxes in the basement.) My friend and I made them saddles, bridles, harnesses, blankes, horse show arenas, ribbons and much more. So it was such a treat to see Stephanie Macejko, Breyer VP of Marketing, bring her first Breyer with its homemade blanket up to the podium to accept the Equine Industry Vision Award.
If you’d like to learn more about some of the cool things Breyer and other AHP members are up to these days, check out the episode of Horses in the Morning that was recorded live at the event – https://www.horseradionetwork.com/2021/09/17/hitm-for-sept-17-2021-live-from-ahp-in-dallas-by-kentucky-performance-products/?fbclid=IwAR2vIVPImAg07lM0P9R7eLDmtUMY2Zh7Sd5i5JoLZJpWBbBN6cYcf19xRP0
Visit us during the Kentucky Book Fair at the Alltech Arena located in the Kentucky Horse Park on Saturday, November 16, 2019. Lesley will be available to sign books and say hello from 9am to 1pm. The fair is part of the week-long Kentucky Book Festival. To learn more, click here »
An original portrait of special horse or pet makes a fantastic gift. There’s no time like the present to start your Christmas shopping!
Order NowOur first book was released on May 3, 2019. Check out the press release from the release party…
DAYTON, Ohio, April 12, 2019 — Local artist Lesley Baumann’s horse illustrations from her upcoming book, J is for Justify, will be on display at Crooked Handle Brewing Company this May. A free opening reception will be held the evening before the Kentucky Derby from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Friday, May 3. While the artwork will be on display during the taproom’s normal business hours, the reception will offer attendees an opportunity to meet the artist, ask questions about the process behind the artwork (it might surprise you!) and enjoy an evening out at a local craft brewery.
J is for Justify is an alphabet book, inspired by the 13th Triple Crown winner, that features 26 famous racehorses. From American Pharoah to Zenyatta, the pages are filled with colorful illustrations and tales of courage, perseverance and victory. Though it is a children’s picture book, it is sure to entertain the young at heart and horse lovers alike. Anecdotes include details about Justify’s knack for achieving impossible goals, Rachel Alexandra’s ability to outrun the boys and the fact that Secretariat’s heart was about twice as large as that of a normal horse. It is also layered with details including the horses’ birthdays and which ones won the Kentucky Derby and Triple Crown.
The illustrations feature Baumann’s detailed horse drawings. A departure from her normal utilization of traditional media, these pieces were all created digitally. The phases of their strides are reminiscent of a Muybridge stop-motion photograph sequence, and if you were to turn through the pages as if they were from a flip book, the horses would appear to animate. Bold background patterns are derived from the jockeys’ silks, and the repetition of the alphabet letters in the artwork is a detail that the youngest readers will enjoy. The display at Crooked Handle will feature each of the vibrant illustrations printed on gallery-wrapped canvas.
“It has been such a thrill to take something that I’ve always loved doing — drawing horses, learning more about horses and talking about horses — and package that up neatly into this tangible book,” notes Baumann. “I really love sharing the stories of these racetrack heroes with my son, and I hope that other families enjoy the experience of pouring over the details together as well.”
Born the year Seattle Slew won the Triple Crown, Lesley Baumann is a graphic designer, animal portrait artist and the author/illustrator of the picture book J is for Justify. She grew up in Dayton, Ohio, and earned her BS in Design from the University of Cincinnati before moving to Arizona, California, Vermont and back to Ohio while building her client base. In all aspects of her work, Lesley has a skill for observing a subject and translating it into stunning visuals that resonate with the intended audience. In her free time, she enjoys riding her American Saddlebred named Clever, cheering for her favorite racehorses as they thunder down the stretch and attempting to keep up with her exuberant young Justify fan.
Mark your calendars for the art show reception from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Friday, May 3, 2019. Crooked Handle Brewing Company is located at 760 North Main Street, Springboro, OH 45066. To learn more about the brewery, visit https://crookedhandle.com. For more information about the art, visit https://jisforjustify.com or call Lesley Baumann at (937) 395-2012. You can also follow along with the book’s progress on social media. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lajbaumann/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jisforjustify Twitter: https://twitter.com/jisforjustify
