"My friend Blue lives in the alley near my studio and we have collaborated on numerous projects before. He stops by my studio and we hang out often. Over the years he has told me stories of this hawk that lives in the alley and swoops down and grabs rats and pigeons from the alley, eating them on the building ledges above. The stories have always left a great impression on me. In no small part due to the candid nature in which he tells them. I always wondered if the manner in which these stories were conveyed was because Blue saw himself as the hawk or more likely the rat. Then one night he came and got me and said I should see this baby hawk he was raising with his wife Sam.
Originally the hawk was painted on a wall as part of an interactive installation, swooping down ready to grab an unsuspecting rat. The original piece was an 18’ x 20’ foot mural with 360 pounds of salt poured on the floor. Two separate sets were created in front of this mural atop the salt. One set was a contemporary and domesticated piece that incorporated a sleek, leather and wood high top stool along with a magazine holder and side table. The other set was a hand painted black on black tent with black tennis shoes at the front of its closed entrance." - Hugh Leeman
