Laura Cunningham Art

Studio of Laura Cunningham

Landscape/Wildlife -- California Heritage

Elk, condors, cougars, birds, salmon, and scenes of deserts, mountains, and woodlands are a some of the subjects I have painted while I write a book on early California ecology and wildlife. I have spent hours in the field sketching wild animals, studying anatomy, as well as executing color sketches of sunlight and shadow in quick plein-air oil paintings. See more.

California grizzly feasting on Coho salmon. Oil on Cotton rag, 10 x 8 inches, 1998. Private collection.

Paleoart

I studied Paleontology at the University of California at Berkeley, and specialize in scenes of dinosaurs, prehistoric mammals, and paleo-habitat scenes with accurate habitat reconstructions.
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Hoplophoneus sabertooth cat leaping on Mesohippus. Background mural for new museum at Badlands National Park. Oil on canvas.

Murals

Large or small murals to decorate a dining room with wine grape vines, Mediterranean scenes on a wall to open up a dark nook with a faux deck opening, kid’s rooms scenes of space, stars, or dinosaurs -- these are some of the mural ideas I can do for your house.

I have done exhibit murals of paleontological scenes for Fresno State University Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, and recently completed a History of the Universe Timeline mural that wrapped up three flights of staircase that will be used for student tours and education at the university. See more.

Museum Exhibits

I have worked with various museums and exhibit companies to paint backdrops for three-dimensional displays, including: Interpretive Exhibits Company in Salem, Oregon; county parks in Santa Cruz (whales, stream life, for example), and Badlands National Park, South Dakota (National Park Service). See more.

Illustrations

Magazines and technical journals I have contributed illustrations for include: Bay Nature, News From Native California, Science News, Journal of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology.
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Contact

Contact me at atomictoadranch@netzero.net if you wish to discuss a mural idea or painted decoration for your house, if you are a museum needing exhibit paintings, or if you wish to purchase an original or print of many of the available paintings I have in stock.

Detail: Giant Forest, oil on panel, 1999, original 21 x 48 inches.