Tom Lea "Where the Hawks Live" Signed Limited Edition Print, 66/200, 1972

Tom Lea (1907–2001), the El Paso painter, muralist, novelist, and war correspondent whose name is inseparable from the visual identity of West Texas, rendered Where the Hawks Live in 1972 — a lone cowboy halted on his horse at the edge of a Trans-Pecos rimrock, a hawk wheeling out over the canyon below. The image distills everything Lea built his reputation on: the hard light of the high desert, the small human figure measured against vast country, the working cowboy as both subject and stand-in for the artist's lifelong gaze westward. This is one of his most commercially enduring compositions and among the most sought-after subjects from his print catalog.

This impression is hand-numbered no. 66 of 200 in pencil at the lower right margin and hand-signed Tom Lea in pencil beside the edition number; the plate also carries Lea's signature and date ("Tom Lea '72") within the image at lower left. The hand-penciled signature and low edition number distinguish this from unsigned reproductions and trade prints.Framed by Peevey's Custom Picture Frames of El Paso, Texas — Lea's hometown — under UV glass with a linen mat and solid wood molding.

History

Born in El Paso in 1907, Tom Lea spent his career translating the Trans-Pecos, the Chihuahuan Desert, and the working ranch culture of the borderland into paint and prose. His murals hang in federal buildings from Washington to El Paso; his WWII combat illustrations for Life magazine remain among the most haunting visual records of the Pacific theater; his novels (The Brave Bulls, The Wonderful Country) drew Hollywood adaptations. His work is held by the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Library of Congress, and major Texas institutions including the El Paso Museum of Art and the Harry Ransom Center. For collectors in the El Paso–Las Cruces corridor, a signed Lea print is a piece of regional identity as much as a piece of art.

CONDITION

Very Good. Print itself presents cleanly under UV glass with strong color and crisp signatures. Water staining noted on the paper dust cover at the verso of the frame; not affecting the print face. Frame and linen mat are sound.

DIMENSIONS / SPECIFICATIONS

• Overall (framed): 28" H × 20" W × 2" D
• Visible image: 23" H × 16" W
• Edition: no. 66 of 200, hand-numbered in pencil
• Signatures: hand-signed "Tom Lea" in pencil at lower right margin; plate-signed "Tom Lea '72" within image at lower left
• Title: Where the Hawks Live, inscribed in pencil at lower left margin
• Glazing: UV glass
• Mat: Linen
• Frame: Solid wood
• Framer: Peevey's Custom Picture Frames, El Paso, Texas