ARTIST: Don Balke (North Carolina, born 1933)
NAME: Birds - Sandhill Crane
YEAR: 1985
MEDIUM: gouache on paper
CONDITION: Very good. Minor damages to corners.
SIGHT SIZE: 12 x 12 inches / 30 x 30 cm
BOARD SIZE: 19 x 21 inches / 48 x 53 cm
SIGNATURE: lower left
NOTE: This painting is the original painting which was published on the Fleetwood commemorative cover for Balke's Shorebirds of the 50 States, cancelled January 26, 1986. Belonging to one of the most ancient families of birds, the magnificent Sandhill Crane is a long-legged, long-necked member of the Crane family. Covered with gray plumage, the Sandhill can be distinguished by its brilliant red bald forehead. Using its six to seven foot wingspan to fly at speeds in excess of thirty miles per hour, the Sandhill elegantly glides through the skies as it migrates, usually in flocks of more than one hundred birds. Upon arriving at the nesting site, the Cranes joyously greet one another, bounding six to eight feet in the air, wings half-spread, stiff-legged and uttering a loud garooo-a-a-a call. After performing the equally intricate mating dance, the male Sandhill builds a four foot nest using marsh plants, weeds, and roots on the shallow waters of ponds or on the ground in large marshes or grasslands. Then, incubation of the two olive, spotted lavender eggs begins. Within a month, the brown-headed young Sandhills hatch, and can swim almost immediately, but are capable of flight only after several months. Later, deliberately separated from their parents, the young Sandhills fly with the flock to the wintering sites. During the winter, the Cranes roost together at night, standing in flocks on low damp land or in shallow water. Then, they fly from their roosting place at dawn to the feeding grounds. Sandhills are also known as garoos, upland cranes, or blue cranes.
PROVENANCE: Collection of James A. Helzer (1946-2008), Founder of Unicover Corporation
CATEGORY: antique vintage painting
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BIOGRAPHY:
Balke, the youngest of ten children, grew up on a farm in northern backcountry of Wisconsin. His family was completely dependent on the land; they tapped trees to make maple syrup; used crosscut saws for logging and horses for their farmwork; they raised crops for themselves and as income. His upbringing instilled in him a love of nature and wildlife. He received his first art award in a Wisconsin state-sponsored art contest while at elementary school for a painting of a black bear roaming in the woods. After serving in the US Army, he married Barbara Schernick[citation needed] and they moved to Chicago where he enrolled in the Academy of Fine Arts, now known as the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. During his time at the Academy, he specialized in still-life paintings. After graduating, he was hired by a Chicago illustrating studio and eventually moved back to Wisconsin where he worked as a commercial art director. He won many awards for his work as an art director and illustrator. On his own time, late in the night, he painted and developed his skills as a wildlife artist. After 17 years, he left his work as an art director to devote himself completely to watercolors and wildlife art. By 1979, they had six children and a home in the village of Thiensville, Wisconsin. Balke's love of nature took him to the NC mountains where he bought 200 acres in McDowell County and built a home. In 1985, a gallery was added and the Don Balke Wildlife Gallery was opened. In 1987, his work was chosen as the illustration for the official NC Zoo poster. In 1992, the United States Post Office issued a series of first-class postage stamps portraying five different species of hummingbirds designed by Balke. Balke travels to Africa, Australia, Ireland, the Caribbean, and across the 50 United States for inspiration and research. His wife, Barbara Schernick Balke, does extensive research on the animals and their habitats in preparation for the paintings and does much of the photography on research trips. He is best known for his detailed and realistic watercolor paintings portraying wildlife in their natural environment. In 2000, he transitioned to a more impressionistic style with oils portraying scenes from Yosemite National Park in California, Ocracoke Island on the Outer Banks, and Grandfather Mountain in North Carolina.