ARTIST: Don Balke (North Carolina, born 1933)
TITLE: Eastern Chipmunk
YEAR: 1984
MEDIUM: watercolor and gouache on board
CONDITION: Very good.
ART SIZE: 12 x 12 inches / 30 x 30 cm
BOARD SIZE: 18 x 20 inches / 45 x 50 cm
SIGNATURE: lower right
NOTE: This painting was originally published on the Fleetwood commemorative cover for Balke's Baby Wildlife of the 50 States, postmarked December 3, 1984. Chipmunks are born in a warm, cozy room all their own. Digging a special chamber off the main underground tunnel, the mother Chipmunk lovingly carpets the nursery with leaves on which her little ones will sleep. Well below the frost line, this efficient -- often elaborate -- burrow offers her young protection, not only against enemies but also against inclement weather. Near the nursery, there are other rooms, some for storing large amounts of food, others for use as bedrooms by the adults. A long, complex system of passageways leads to a front door and a back door, making quick escapes a simple task. In May, when the house has been properly prepared, the mother Chipmunk gives birth to her babies -- four or five to a litter. They are born naked and pink, and are about the size of peanuts. But, within a month, they have grown the familiar silky, striped coats which their parents wear and they are ready for their first cautious venture into the world. Timidly, they follow their mother up from the darkness, through the tunnels and into the bright green of the Illinois summer. Forty or fifty feet from the safety of the burrow is about all these tiny imps dare travel. Quivering with excitement, they run, stop, sit up and look around, clasping little paws to their breasts in fright. Then, having had enough, they dash back to their cozy nest. But, by August, most are fully grown and ready to live on their own beneath the lovely country lanes and gardens of Illinois.
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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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.