Without Warning - Golden Eagle and Raven by wildlife portrait artist Carl Brenders

Without Warning by Carl Brenders, available from Prickly Pear Galleries.

 

"I wanted to create the feeling of being high in the sky together with the most beautiful flying creature in the world. Therefore, I had to avoid any landscape or clouds. I wanted to capture the atmosphere of the evening sun penetrating some mist.

 

"Since ravens and crows have the surprising habit of chasing raptors much bigger than themselves, picturing that in my painting was a very attractive idea. It is very interesting to see how the raptor finally leaves the raven's territory . Usually, there is more than one raven. I felt that, for my composition, one raven was better. The viewer can imagine another one outside of the image, preparing its loop.

 

"Most adult raptors can handle these attacks and can avoid being hit by the aggressors. My eagle is a young bird, not yet familiar with such air attacks. I cropped the wings to strengthen the feeling of being close to the bird and to make you a part of that dramatic moment in the sky." - Carl Brenders, from his new book "Pride of Place" (2007).

 

Print released 1998.