"To Live and Die in L.A."
acrylic on panel
11" X 14"
Downtown Los Angeles, the last Ice Age. Sometimes disguised by a thin layer of water, leaves or other debris, asphalt seeps through the ground from deep within the earth under southern California. Unsuspecting large grazing animals searching for a drink or stumbling too near would become trapped, like flies to fly paper. A few inches of asphalt would be able to hold an animal as large a Mammoth or Mastodon (pictured). The animals would die from dehydration or exposure. The stench of the dead would attract scavengers and predators from miles around, who would also become trapped. For every one herbivore six predator remains have been found. Most Commonly the Dire Wolf (pictured).