Laurie Flaherty

Laurie Flaherty grew up in Columbus, Indiana, where she spent much of her time drawing and exploring the natural world. Fortunate to live in a town filled with public sculpture and civic buildings designed by world renowned architects, her surroundings had a strong influence on her.

After graduating in 1991 from the University of Pennsylvania, she began her career

making large abstract oil paintings. Her work began to shift toward representation

when she was invited to lead painting retreats in Maine. Frequent trips to Brazil led

to a body of work focusing on bromeliads, while the next phase of her work

concentrated on more complex interactions of patterned plants and birds. Currently she is simultaneously working on two bodies of work. The Pollinator and Native Plant series focuses on rewilding and biodiversity, while the Flora and Fauna series highlights what is dazzling and surprising in the natural world.

She has shown her work in the eastern United States, including Soprafina Gallery in Boston, the Sorelle Gallery in New Canaan, Connecticut, Susan Powell Fine Art in Madison, Connecticut and gallery representation with Kathryn Markel Fine Arts in New York. She is a recipient of the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism Artist Fellowship. Her work can be found in private collections

worldwide and public collections nationally.

Over the years she has taught in various colleges and private schools, as she feels called to share her knowledge and pass the torch to the next generation of creators. Laurie lives and works in

Guilford, Connecticut, near the forest, Long Island Sound and her garden, all of

which continually fuel her painting practice

See more of Laurie's work on Instagram @laurie.flaherty.5