About the artist
A native Long Islander, growing up in Stony Brook, NY, Laura Westlake is essentially a self-taught artist drawing and painting since the age of five. Her love of nature and the outdoors has always been the inspiration for her work.
Laura studied at Santa Barbara City College in California, and The School Of Visual Arts in New York, where she developed an interest in commercial illustration which lasted for 15 years. Her career included work for television, magazine and print ads, portraiture, and book illustration. She later turned her focus back to the fine arts mastering both color pencil and oil paints and has been exhibiting in galleries for over 35 years.
"It is always about the birds. I live and breathe these beautiful feathered creatures every day of my life. I have birds in the house, birds in outdoor aviaries, glass birds, ceramic birds, bird books and bird sculptures outside surrounding my home. So I paint them. I select colorful objects and heirlooms and arrange them in a whimsical balancing act around my bird subjects. I hope to connect the viewer to the natural world by bringing them into the composition no matter what the setting".
As an avid birder, Laura plays with composition and color creating a tapestry of patterns and feathers. Her birds perch gracefully atop ceramic and glass vessels inviting viewers into a world where birds and inanimate objects coexist harmoniously. She brings to her art a keen eye for avian details with a sense of humor and whimsical enchantment. Her oil paintings are a masterful blend of nature, tradition and surrealism. She has received numerous awards and has exhibited extensively in museums and galleries throughout the United States.
A wildlife rehabilitator for 30 years, Laura holds Federal and New York State licenses for the rehabilitation of migratory birds. She will incorporate these birds into her paintings which has become a trademark in her work.
Laura Westlake lives in Orient, N.Y. with her artist husband, Dominick Di Lorenzo.