Local pair creates coloring books for kids of all ages

Local artists Barbara Bailey of Marble Hill, Missouri, and Aaron Horrell of Chaffee, Missouri, have grown from painting their unique BARBARON Minis to incorporating those whimsical paintings into a coloring book.

The two artists selected an assortment of the minis, turned them into black-and-white drawings and published them under the pen name Alison Barbaron as "Alison Barbaron's Color Book."

Some of the drawings are probably too detailed for young artists who may not have the dexterity or the patience to color them, but as the pair says on the cover of the book, it is for kids of all ages.

"As you color the pages in this book, I hope you are inspired to think like an artist. Lightly layering colors will allow you to find special color combinations," the back cover reads.

Bailey and Horrell found they thought along the same artistic path when they discovered how to paint the minis. In addition to finding special color combinations, they found special little critters that are themselves artists who paint and draw and do all sorts of things in a forest.

The two take turns finding themes and creatures on a board that has been sprayed with various colors of paint, then dipped in water. Once it has dried, the artists find foxes, possums, bears and even dinosaurs -- some wearing berets and painting their own work, others doing other things.

Now the finished minis have been transformed to pages of a coloring book to challenge other artists, and soon will appear as illustrations in children's books.

Horrell and Bailey said they can see themselves creating minis and books well into the future.

"There are so many ways to go," Horrell said. "There are so many different things to paint."

Most artists don't work in tandem with another artist, but for Bailey and Horrell, it just seems to work. Horrell said he's tried working with other artists before, but egos got in the way.

It was different with Bailey, who was just learning to paint when she met Horrell.

"I wanted to learn to paint and didn't know any better," she said. "I was so new to painting, I got the opportunity and said I was going to do it."

Since they began working together and creating the BARBARON Minis nearly two years ago, they have produced 158 paintings.

"We think we're getting better and better," Horrell said.

The coloring book is full of vertical drawings, and soon will be followed by a second coloring book in a horizontal format. Another book, "Alison BARBARON's Picture Book with Poems," recently was published and also is available.

All are available from Horrell's studio, the Painted Wren, at 223 S. Plaza Way in Cape Girardeau and from Amazon.com.