Hilary Baker – Predators and Other L.A . Stories

Hilary Baker – Predators and Other L.A . Stories Soft cover, 49 pages, 37 full color plates, signed by the artist. Introduction by Rory Devine; Essay by Tucker Neel; and Interview by Constance Mallinson. Hiding in plain view among iconic landmarks are the feral animals of Los Angeles, the subjects of the book, Predators and Other L.A. Stories. By siting these animals among our vanishing city habitats, the paintings comment on the loss of urban wildlife as a result of man's interference or, to paraphrase W.G. Sebald, as the result of the natural progression of destruction. A Los Angeles native, Hilary Baker spent her childhood roaming the hills around her home in the canyons, hunting for animal bones and avoiding the occasional snake. Her subjects, ranging from baseball and wildlife to Los Angeles’ history and architecture, are depicted in her signature graphic style. Baker has been an Artist-in-Residence at the Pont-Aven School of Art in France, as well as the Ucross Foundation, Art/Omi, Yaddo and MacDowell artist residencies. Her work is included in the collections of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Fine Art Museums of San Francisco, Temple University, USC, the Crocker Museum, Chapman University and Kauffman and Broad. She lives in Ojai, California, surrounded by wildlife, in the shadow of the Topatopa mountains.