"All of my paintings have their origins in my experiences and perceptiosn of beauty in the wilderness. My goal is to allow the viewer to travel deep into the woods, find serenity at the water's edge, climb mountains and be completely at home in the true world - the world of the wilderness. Red tailed hawks like to perch on telephone and fence poles and watch for rabbits and mice in the long grasses. I wanted to capture this particular hawk on its vigil because of the textures in the scene - in the leaves of the blackberry bush, the moss lichen growing on the fence post and the plowed field in the background." - Stephen Lyman