Don Balke (North Carolina, B. 1933) "Snowshoe Hare and White Oak" Signed lower right. Original Watercolor on Paper.

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

This art was originally published in the limited edition collection of philatelic proofcards issued by Fleetwood and the National Audubon Society for the Wildlife of the 50 States.

A shy, retiring little fellow, the Snowshoe Hare frolics in Connecticut's evergreen forests. Suddenly, crisp fallen leaves from the state tree, the White Oak, rustle softly and the Snowshoe Hare freezes. Perfectly camouflaged against the snowy background, only his dark tipped ears and glistening black eyes peek out from the winter whiteness. Quivering slightly, the white hare waits patiently for suspected danger to pass and then gleefully continues his romp. The Snowshoe Hare uses the natural hair-covered overshoes on his hind feet to glide effortlessly across deep drifts without sinking into the fluffy snow. In spring, Snowshoe Hares move into thick forests where small clearings offer both food and protection. During the warm months they also "change clothes," donning basic brown as a natural camouflage. Because these furry mammals change color with the season, many refer to them as Varying Hares. Much like fictitious rabbits and haras such as the famous Peter Rabbit, Varying Hares spend most of their days fighting for survival. Extremely tasty to most carnivores, they are hunted widely by both man and beast. As if to compensate for the understandably short life spans, the Snowshoe Hares are unusually prolific. After a gestation period of about thirty-six days, the females give birth to anywhere from two to seven bunnies. Unlike their close relatives the rabbits, hares are bigger, have longer legs, taller ears and their young are born already covered with fur and with their eyes open.

Image Size: 12 x 13.75 in.
Overall Size: 20.25 x 23 in.
Unframed.
(B05746)

- 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.

- Due to the size of our gallery not all items are out for preview at one time. If you plan on coming to preview any lot(s) we recommend letting us know prior so we can have them collected and prepared for your preview.

- 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.

- All artwork is listed and sold per section (10) of our terms and conditions, please read over all definitions of authorship prior to bidding to better understand artwork listings.

- 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.