ARTIST: Don Balke (North Carolina, born 1933)
TITLE: Great Blue Heron
YEAR: 1986
MEDIUM: watercolor and gouache on board
CONDITION: Very good.
ART SIZE: 11 x 13 inches / 27 x 33 cm
BOARD SIZE: 19 x 21 inches / 48 x 53 cm
SIGNATURE: lower left
NOTE: This painting was originally published on the Fleetwood commemorative cover for Balke's Shorebirds of the 50 States, cancelled June 20, 1986. In the morning mist, standing motionless and alone along a stream or lake, the Great Blue Heron is often the only living creature seen in the broad expanse of its water and forest home. Most active during the twilight hours the Great Blue Heron is a patient hunter. Usually standing motionless in shallow water, the Heron waits for its prey to come within striking distance of its sharp pointed bill. Then, flipping its catch in the air, the Heron swallows it. After feeding, the Great Blue Heron may take off in flight. Beating its dusky colored wings slowly and majestically, the Great Blue folds its neck in an S-shape with its head between its shoulders, and trails its long legs behind its body. Usually silent, the Great Blue may occasionally honk or croak during flight, especially when startled or disturbed. The Great Blue lands at its nest built on rocky ledges or damp ground at the water's edge. The flat, flimsy platform is used to hold the usually four pale blue-green eggs. Both sexes participate in incubation, turning the eggs every two hours. The hatchlings are helpless and depend on the parents for several months, but eventually are forced from the nest. Once sustained flight is achieved, the immature young are active throughout the heronry and often fish for themselves. Scientists believe the Great White Heron found in Florida is a sub-species of the Great Blue.
PROVENANCE: Collection of James A. Helzer (1946-2008), Founder of Unicover Corporation.
CATEGORY: old antique vintage painting for auction sale online
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SKU#: 122928
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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.