ARTIST: Don Balke (North Carolina, born 1933)
TITLE: Bird - American Woodcock
MEDIUM: gouache on board
CONDITION: Very good.
ART SIZE: 13 x 14 inches / 33 x 35 cm
BOARD SIZE: 20 x 23 inches / 50 x 58 cm
SIGNATURE: lower left
PROVENANCE: Collection of James A. Helzer (1946-2008), Founder of Unicover Corporation.
NOTE: This painting was originally published on the Fleetwood commemorative cover for the Birds and Flowers of Canada - Nova Scotia, postmarked June 30, 1978. AMERICAN WOODCOCK Philohela minor The Woodcock's day is spent dozing in a well-concealed ground nest, but as the cloak of night falls over the woodland, he springs awake to hunt. In a single night the Woodcock may consume half his weight in earthworms. When full, he takes to the air for a daring performance designed to dazzle the female. If the moon is full, the Woodcock may stage an all-night show. Once the courting ritual is over, however, the male Woodcock has little to do with family life. The female lays three to four eggs with brown spots in a nest of leaves and twigs -- and she continues to watch over her fluffy chicks until they can fly. When the young are grown and summer is at an end, the Woodcocks head south to their winter home. MAYFLOWER Epigaea repens It seems likely that the Mayflower derives its name from the ship that brought the Pilgrims to America. After a hard winter, the Pilgrims, no doubt, came upon this delicate bloomer and named it after their ship. The Mayflower, or Trailing Arbutus, is a delightful woodland native of Canada and the northern United States. It bears trailing hairy stems, green leaves, and clusters of white or pink flowers of sweet fragrance. The plant spreads in thick mats and prefers a home beneath a pine tree. Here, fallen pine needles and leaves protect its evergreen foliage throughout the Canadian winter. One of the welcome heralds of spring, the Mayflower blossoms often appear while there is still snow on the ground.
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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 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.