Don Balke (North Carolina, B. 1933) "Moose" Signed lower left. Original Watercolor painting on Paper.

Provenance: Collection of James A. Helzer (1946-2008), Founder of Unicover Corporation.

This painting is the original painting which was published on the Fleetwood commemorative cover for the Baby Wildlife of the 50 States, postmarked March 14, 1985.

The deep, green forests that blanket Maine's rugged wilderness areas are home to many species of America's wildlife. Among the most interesting is the magnificent American Moose which leads a solitary life in the woodlands of the north. This great deer eats twigs, leaves, and bark, and loves to wade far out into mountain ponds for water lilies. With its great head and rubbery lips, the Moose is able to pluck tender water plants from the lake bottom. The Moose is able to distinguish many types of water plants with its muzzle, and selects the most tender for its food. The long legs and high-shouldered bodies of these great animals allow them to wade through water and snow with amazing speed and grace. During the fall mating season, the males battle for dominance with their massive racks of antlers. The victor wins the cows, and the baby Moose, usually twins, are born in May. Unlike other deer, the young Moose are born dark brown, and with no spots. The infants need no protective coloring because their mother is so aggressive and attentive that she will keep even wolves and bears at bay. The mother will teach her young how to forage through the woods for tender saplings and how to search the river bottoms for aquatic plants. The young will stay with their mother for their first year. The following spring ... just before the new babies arrive ... the young Moose will leave their mother to lead their own solitary lives in the beautiful mountain wilderness of Maine.

Image Size: 12.25 x 12.25 in.
Overall Size: 20 x 18 in.
Unframed.
(B08616)

- By registering to bid for this auction either in-house or online and/or placing a bid in this auction the BIDDER/BUYER agrees to all the terms and conditions of Helmuth Stone Gallery Auctions.

- All silver, gold and/or jewelry lots or invoices containing said lots MUST be paid for via WIRE TRANSFER, no other forms of payment will be accepted.

- All items are sold as-is where-is and no guarantees are made of any kind. All sales are final; no refunds will be given under any circumstances.

- Helmuth Stone Gallery provides condition reports as a courtesy to our clients and assumes no liability for any error or omission. Any condition statement is given as a courtesy to a client and is only an opinion and should not be treated as a statement of fact. Descriptions are our opinions and should in no way be construed as a guarantee of any kind as to age, condition, mater. The bidder assumes responsibility for ensuring that the condition of the item(s) meets with their satisfaction prior to bidding. The absence of a condition statement does not imply that the lot is in perfect condition or completely free from wear and tear, imperfections or the effects of aging.

- Online images can sometimes be low quality due to the uploading process, original high-resolution images can be requested via email at HelmuthStone@gmail.com

- We recommend looking into shipping quotes prior to bidding, shipping quotes can take up to a week or more post-sale as we host our auctions through multiple online platforms and shipping can become backlogged, if you would like a list of local shippers please email us directly.

- Our auction catalogs are hosted through multiple online platforms along with phone and in-house bidding. Bids placed on other platforms are not shown through this catalog. Because of this, even if it appears you are the only absentee bid or bidder on a lot, you may already be outbid or may have placed a bid equal to another bidder. Therefore, we always recommend bidding live.

- Unless otherwise stated in the description, all items are sold without additional documentation or COAs. If any supporting documentation is available an image will be available online via the catalog listing.