Plate 16. Great-footed Hawk 

This is Plate 16 from John James Audubon's *Birds of America*, likely made with a combination of watercolor, pastel, and graphite. The image is printed, meaning that Audubon wasn't making one-off drawings, but rather editions. Audubon began with a specimen – a real, dead bird, which he would pose using wires. Only then would he begin to draw. Look at the final result: the hawks are caught in a moment of predatory action. The artist has arranged this tableau to emphasize their aggression, beaks open and bloodied. Beyond Audubon's singular talent, the *Birds of America* depended on a whole network of people. There were the hunters who brought Audubon his specimens, and the engravers and colorists who translated his vision into print. Consider that the making of this artwork was itself a kind of ecosystem. It reflects both the beauty and brutality of the natural world, and the complex relationships between humans and nature.