I have a thing for Golden Eagles apparently. These huge birds are pretty much at the pinnacle of the avian food chain. In this painting I wanted to capture the immensity of the bird. I used a reference photo that I found on the net ages ago that wasn't of any decent quality but I loved the pose of the bird over it's kill. Now mind you Golden eagles normally hunt smaller prey such as rabbits, but are known to take down small deer as well. Image if you would a winter starved deer crossing an open field. The eagle plummeting downward, striking the deer like a freight train. It's talons easily snapping the deer's spine with the impact. Not a pretty picture, but that's the way of nature .... eat or be eaten. Oil on stretched canvas 36"(90cm) x 24"(60cm)