Laurie Flaherty

Selected Paintings: from the “Birds of Prey” series

“After moving from the city to a small coastal town in Connecticut in 2004, I immediately started seeing hawks, osprey and other birds of prey on a daily basis. This increasing exposure to raptors piqued my interest in painting these majestic creatures. Especially intriguing is the combination of their dual qualities of grace and strength, lightness and power, beauty and intensity. These birds embody freedom and at the same time reveal what is fleeting in life.

I paint the raptors against a clear blue sky in order to focus attention on the magnificence of these remarkable birds. I want to remind the viewer to be alert, to look up and catch a glimpse of what is here one moment and gone the next. I also want to draw attention to the act of looking upward – to the process of elevating – a process that in the birds is physical, but can also be seen as the rise of the emotions and the spirit.” – L.F.