LOOK FOR ME WHERE THE POORWILL SINGS: Opening at Theodore Payne Foundation November 18

Opening date: November 18, 2023, 3-5pm

Location: Theodore Payne Foundation, 10507 Tuxford St., Sun Valley, CA

Look for Me Where the Poorwill Sings is a series of ink and watercolor illustrations celebrating a vibrant ecosystem in the Verdugo Mountains that is facing an existential threat from a luxury development.

In the far northern corner of the city of Los Angeles, 300 acres of open space nestle between the 210 freeway and the community of Tujunga, carpeted with lush coastal sage scrub, chaparral, and riparian woodland. As the sun sets golden over the hills, a toad emerges from a burrow, and a poorwill calls from the brush. This is the place that has come to be known as “No Canyon Hills,” the rallying cry of a network of residents, naturalists, and conservation organizations that have raised their voices in strident defense of this handful of rugged mountains.

The series of illustrations explores the nonhuman communities woven throughout the open space, ranging from the iconic: La Tuna Puma and the old growth holly-leaf cherry tree known as the Heritage Prunus, to the easily overlooked: the moths and beetles teeming in the sage. The scenes are woven together from the artist’s own observations at the site and the iNaturalist observations of the many dedicated naturalists who have joined the No Canyon Hills cause, depicted with detailed delicacy in ink and watercolor. The works incorporate pigments made from invasive plants harvested on site by the artist, weaving a tangible thread from the open space into the gallery space.