1970s Craig, Erika H. “Cooper’s Hawk” Limited Edition Colored Framed Lithograph. Coa

Details

Description

Erika Hansen Craig’s
“Copper’s Hawk,” limited edition print (53/250). Certificate of Authentication on back. A lovely and poignant blue and … Read more Erika Hansen Craig’s
“Copper’s Hawk,” limited edition print (53/250). Certificate of Authentication on back. A lovely and poignant blue and white hawk on a branch copperplate engraving.

This is a stark pice that really stood out to me as a collector. The refinement of the hawk who faces his back to us, is artfully cheeky in his twisted head and stark beak. The piece evokes a close look returned by the hawk’s side stare. It is at once, remarkable and thoughtful!

This would be a lovely conversation piece placed perhaps adjacent to some wood details upon a fireplace log mantle or atop a bookshelf.

This is a limited edition lithograph (originally of a transparent watercolor) with destroyed plaques on 100% “ragcoate”acid-free museum-quality cotton paper. Cotton paper, also known as rag paper or rag stock paper, is made using cotton linters (fine fibers which stick to the cotton seeds after processing) or cotton from used cloth (rags) as the primary material. Prior to the mid-19th century, cotton paper was the main form of paper produced, with pulp paper replacing cotton paper as the main paper material during the 19th century.

The frame is wooden and has some scuffs, to be further detailed in the condition section below. Glass frame and COA on back.

The gifted and accomplished artist, Erica Craig's, transparent watercolors are found in collections around the country, and have graced the covers of "Waterfowl U.S.A.", "Idaho Wildlife", and "Traditional Bowhunter" magazines. Her artwork has been featured in articles In "Wildlife Art News", "Oh Idaho", "Archery", and "Idaho Wildlife" magazines, and has also been the subject of several television specials (Exploring Idaho and Outdoor Idaho). She illustrated the book entitled A Hawk in the Sun by Leon R. Powers and her painting "Weathering the Storm" was featured in an article on Alaskan art in the January 2001 issue of U.S. Art News magazine. She won the Idaho Archery Stamp competition three times, has done commissioned pieces for such groups as the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, and the National Watchable Wildlife Program, and has had art featured on Ducks Unlimited Christmas cards. In addition to being a professional artist, Erica is a wildlife biologist and co-owner of a small company that does wildlife research, is an avid archer, hunter, and outdoor enthusiast. Her art is an outgrowth of her intimate knowledge of the natural world. Her work also includes illustrations for a book on great gray owls, and a series that includes watercolors of Alaskan wildlife and the Alaskan landscape and wildflowers.

The piece is presumed to be Alaskan, American. Cooper's hawk (Astur cooperii) refers to a medium-sized hawk native to the North American continent and found from southern Canada to Mexico. The species was named in 1828 by Charles Lucien Bonaparte in honor of his friend and fellow ornithologist, William Cooper. Other common names for Cooper's hawk include: big blue darter, chicken hawk, flying cross, hen hawk, quail hawk, striker, and swift hawk. Many of the names applied to Cooper's hawks refer to their ability to hunt large and evasive prey using extremely well-developed agility. This species primarily hunts small-to-medium-sized birds, but will also commonly take small mammals and sometimes reptiles.

Like most related hawks, Cooper's hawks prefer to nest in tall trees with extensive canopy cover and can commonly produce up to two to four fledglings depending on conditions. Breeding attempts may be compromised by poor weather, predators and anthropogenic causes, in particular the use of industrial pesticides and other chemical pollution in the 20th century. Despite declines due to manmade causes, the bird remains a stable species.

Like most related hawks, Cooper's hawks prefer to nest in tall trees with extensive canopy cover and can commonly produce up to two to four fledglings depending on conditions. Breeding attempts may be compromised by poor weather, predators and anthropogenic causes, in particular the use of industrial pesticides and other chemical pollution in the 20th century.Despite declines due to manmade causes, the bird remains a stable species.

Cooper's hawk was formally described by the French naturalist Charles Lucien Bonaparte in 1828 from a specimen collected near Bordentown, New Jersey. He coined the binomial name Falco cooperii.[10] The specific epithet and the common name were chosen to honour the naturalist William Cooper, one of the founders of the New York Lyceum of Natural History (later the New York Academy of Sciences) in New York City.[11] Other common names include the big blue darter and the chicken hawk.[12] Cooper's hawk was formerly placed in the genus Accipiter. In 2024 a comprehensive molecular phylogenetic study of the Accipitridae confirmed earlier work that had shown that the genus was polyphyletic.[13][14] To resolve the non-monophyly, Accipiter was divided into six genera. The genus Astur had been introduced in 1828 by the French naturalist Charles Lucien Bonaparte with the Eurasian goshawk later designated as the type species. The genus was resurrected to accommodate Cooper's hawk together with 8 other species that had previously been placed in Accipiter.[15] Cooper's hawk is sister to Gundlach's hawk (Astur gundlachi) that is endemic to Cuba and together these two species are sister to the bicolored hawk (Astur bicolor) that is widely distributed from southern Mexico to northern Argentina. See less