All of us battle trials in our lives and seek solutions, peace, and escape. 'Beyond the Bottle' is a full color, hardbound book of words and illustrations to convey a message through the eyes to the brain to "see" in both senses of the word-both a text and art message intended to be read and viewed together at a moment, a particular point in time and place, with surrounding influences. In other words, it was created for a specific purpose, with both intended and unintended aspects. This book seeks to confront and foster proper response to addictions, especially alcohol.The author used words, the illustrator used art, and together there is both a text message and a viewed message, individually and together. Neither the text or art was in a vacuum alone, but initial ideas expressed were constantly changed both individually and through the combining process of completing the book. Messages are only a small but important part of the communication and emotional connectivity in our lives. A message conveyed through text or visual art is one of constant change and metamorphosis, both as it is being constructed or conveyed, as well as in the "finished product" as it matures or "ripens" when received through the eyes of the reader. It is then further processed, interpreted, stored, and applied within the complex human brain, always eliciting a response which includes interactions of thoughts and emotions, spoken words or other physical expressions, as well as both plans for or actual actions.
Author Biography:
Dr. Gene Baillie grew up in rural Nebraska, the oldest of six children and the first member of his family to attend college. He and Gini were married during his first year of medical school. After medical school, pathology training, and two years of public health service, Gene practiced pathology for 35 years in Anderson, South Carolina. For many years, he taught technologist and pathology courses at a national level, and he was elected to the board of the American Society for Clinical Pathology, serving as their President in 2002-03. He has written several medical articles, including one with his daughter Becky about Biblical Leprosy. Gene and Gini raised three biological children, Becky, Kim, and Heather, who are now married, have blessed their parents with eight grandchildren and one great-grandson. The Baillies also raised four foster sons who were part of a family of eight children. All eight children are considered part of the Baillie family, as are their children. The Baillie family also includes many spiritual children and grandchildren as well. Gene and Gini have been blessed to have traveled on mission trips to Korea, Taiwan, Japan, Jamaica, Republic of Congo, and Liberia. They have also been a part of planting four churches, including one in Australia, where Gene worked for five years teaching pathology to medical doctors. He is an elder in the Presbyterian Church in America. Over the years, the Baillie home has served as a site for newly-started churches and as a place for Gene and Gini to teach inductive Bible studies. For over a quarter of a century, Gene has been passionate about reading the Bible through each year, and he has encouraged many others, by weekly accountability, to do the same. Gene and Gini were married for 51 years before her death in 2015 from the brain cancer, glioblastoma. Gene is author of four other books, all described and available at ReadGoodBooks.org Illustrator Ty Davis is from Charleston, SC. During high school in Orangeburg, SC, his artistic talent blossomed and he and others realized his artistic abilities, his exhibiting skills and styles in painting, drawing, and sculpture, as well as music and fashion. Excelling and winning many awards, mastering figurative art (as rekindled in this book), he decided to change paths and set out to innovate the culture. Ty uses a technique where the paint is applied to the canvas and alcohol or water is used to let the composition "evolve". This creates a world relative to one's imagination and consciousness, a symphony far beyond the paintings, both confronting and comforting. Contact Ty at tydavisbey@icloud.com
