Laurelin Gilmore’s recent body of work is deeply personal, and her fearless honesty is a key she hopes others will see as a means to unlock their own inner reflections.

Titled Migrations, these recent paintings are a direct response to her daughter’s transition into life in college and outside the home. Taking the phrase “empty nest syndrome” to heart, Gilmore incorporates significant bird imagery. Ranging from human-bird hybrids derived from her photographs of various fauna, to more poetic expressions of her husband’s hands in bird form, the many explorations of avian figures lends the series potency in capturing the mass migration of a whole flock. She is keen to highlight the realities of the world, capturing how the urge to leave for survival is instinctual and necessary for countless other animals on this planet. She sees humans as no different, acknowledging the drive to seek safety and opportunity to thrive.