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.
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. Her new works can be seen in her representing galleries.
A wildlife rehabilitator for 30, 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.