Turning art into wallpaper. How Laura Levie got her art on the walls of Ronald McDonald House Charities of Alabama

Birmingham is full of talented artists: photographers, muralists, painters, sculptors… The list goes on and on. From restaurant walls, abandoned buildings, art galleries and maybe even your dentist office—you’ll hardly find a place lacking a local artist’s touch. And now, you can bring the work of a Birmingham artist into your own home.

Meet Laura Levie, a local illustrator and painter who’s making Birmingham more colorful.

Levie, a Birmingham resident for 25+ years, finally decided to turn her hobby of painting and illustrating into a career 5 years ago. Now, she frequents local festivals and artist events like the monthly Birmingham Art Crawl and most recently, the Birmingham Art Walk. 

Her work is whimsical and vibrant, and can be found locally in Children’s of Alabama clinics and on the walls of the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Alabama (RMHCA) in Birmingham. 

Find Her Work on the Walls of the Ronald McDonald House

Commissioned in 2017 by the RMHCA, Levie had never created a work of that scale. She knew she was facing a learning curve, so she reached out to Alabama Graphics for help. They were able to transform Laura’s illustrations from digital art to life-size wall coverings.

“I paint everything individually. So each of the icons I painted separately. Then I painted the background and the words on the Flying Things. I brought all that together and assembled that in photoshop. Then I sent everything to Alabama Graphics…And they had three or four strips they had to print out.”

Her 10ft x 20ft wall coverings, Birmingham Icons and Flying Things, showcase fun and imaginative illustrations of Birmingham and and more in the RMHCA family rooms.

The Birmingham Icons wall covering celebrates the city’s past, present and future by depicting some of the city’s favorite landmarks. It shows historically significant places, like Sloss Furnaces, as well as newer developments to the city, Railroad Park. 

Depicting animals flying with capes, kites and even paper airplanes, the Flying Things wall covering is a reminder that anything is possible. It’s purpose? To represent the “community of love, comfort and hope provided by the Ronald McDonald House,” according to Laura.

The encouraging words and phrases throughout are a reminder of the RMHCA mission: to keep families close—giving them hope, comfort and support.

Contact Laura for Your Own Custom Wall Coverings

Whether it’s a wall covering with your kid’s favorite colors and characters, a statement wall for your office, (or simply an 8×10 print) Levie’s work will make any room brighter.

• Email her at laura@lauralevie.com,
• Give her a call at 205.585.8007,
• Follow her on Instagram @LauraLevie,
• And shop her prints and more on her online shop or on The Alabama Bicentennial site.

Have your own idea for a custom wall covering? Read more on how to turn your prints into wallpaper with Alabama Graphics!