I needed a break after painting multiple mountain lions (pumas), so I felt my oils in my studio calling to me -and surprised the shy wildlife biologist, Jeff Sikich, with this portrait in honor of his tireless work tracking our local mountain lions. Check him out online at: http://articles.latimes.com/2012/oct/28/local/la-me-mountain-lions-20121029
Our P-22/Urban Wildlife Week was overflowing with wildlife supporters! National Wildlife Foundation's CA Director, Beth Pratt, hiked the 47 mile route the awesome mountain lion, P-22, must have taken in order to make Griffith Park his new home. He is safe there, but it is amazing that he traversed so many developments, residential communities, and crossed two busy freeways to get there from the Santa Monica Mountain range, where he was born.
Jeff Sikich has monitored P-22 in this new location & caught him near death due to the one threat facing him now on a daily basis: ingesting rat poison used by the surrounding homes. Administering an antidote saved our now-famous P-22! (I have also portrayed P-22 at that time. To see his condition is heartbreaking.) Thank you, Jeff!
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