A few weeks ago, a sander was fast at work, clearing a worn and faded painting from the old jail building in what’s known as the Phase 2 Alleyway leading to Herald Square. The small building sat like that for a while until mid-July, when Sapulpa native Bailee Green arrived to do what she does best: give it a vibrant new touch of color.
Green did her very first mural in 2017, and began getting serious about it not long after. “I started pursuing it as a career in 2019,” she told Sapulpa Times, “I started my LLC last year and have been a full-time artist since then.”
The mural, featuring Oklahoma’s state bird, its state butterfly, state tree, and state flower, was commissioned by the Creek County Master Gardeners and based on a concept drawing by Master Gardener Kathleen Curran.
It took several days to complete, and the project was likely lengthened by a rainstorm or two. Green said she hoped the rain wouldn’t interfere too much, because she was “booked up into next year,” and didn’t want to fall behind. Thanks to some assistance, the project started on July 17th and was completed by July 22nd.
Bailee Green used a vibrant color palette in this mural, something that she’s become known for as her business has grown to include full indoor walls, staircases, and even a multistory grain silo in Norman—a project she did by herself with one scissorlift.
“This is one of the rare pieces I have created that features a background,” Green said. “I try to stick to my recognizable ‘sticker style’ for my installations; however, this does not mean that I am not willing to do background, if that is the client’s request!” Green said she was “very pleased with how it turned out.”
Creek County Master Gardener Kathleen Curran said the group is “beyond thrilled” with the result. “When we first envisioned the idea of a mural downtown depicting Oklahoma’s native flora and fauna, we had no idea that the original concept would translate to the beautiful, colorful work of Art that Bailee created and installed!”
The old jail building sits behind what was formerly Sapulpa City Hall from the 1960s to sometime in the 1980s. Before that, the building belonged to Southwestern Bell. Several years ago it was purchased by the Kante Group and is now the home of a children’s boutique called “Frilly Flamingos” on the bottom floor, with an Airbnb in the second story, and a private apartment on the top floor.
See more of Bailee Green’s work on her website or Instagram.
