Don Balke (North Carolina, B. 1933) "Musk Ox and Sitka Spruce" Signed lower left. 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. Looking like large, shaggy cattle, musk oxen roam Alaska's frigid countryside. Ovibos moschatus are long, low and appear to be plump, but the musk oxen's thick coat creates much of its bulk. Their shaggy winter coats protect them from frigid climates, and are so warm that anyone dressed in a musk oxen coat would be well insulated, even at the highest altitudes. Like sheep, musk oxen shed their coats each spring. This similarity led to recent research which suggests musk oxen are not really oxen, nor do they have a musk odor. They are, however, closely related to sheep, goats and mountain goats. For centuries, Eskimos descriptively called musk oxen, Oomingmak, meaning the bearded one. High above their bearded chins, the enlarged base of the oxen's hard elastic horns forms a shield covering the crest of their heads. Musk oxen form a circular fortress when threatened, their horned heads lining the outer edge. When attacked, they fling predators into the air and, as they land, trample them. Less defensive against men, musk oxen were massacred during early arctic expeditions and were almost extinct by 1930. That same year, musk oxen from Greenland were relocated to Alaska and, by 1943, the herd numbered one hundred. Recent airplane surveys show a continuing increase. This artwork depicts the musk oxen grazing beneath the Alaskan state tree, the Sitka Spruce.

Image Size: 11.75 x 14.25 in.
Overall Size: 20.25 x 24.25 in.
Unframed. (B05706)

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