ARTIST: Don Balke (North Carolina, born 1933)
TITLE: Bird - Texas White-faced Ibis
YEAR: 1986
MEDIUM: gouache and watercolor on board
CONDITION: Very good.
ART SIZE: 12 x 13 inches / 30 x 33 cm
BOARD SIZE: 19 x 21 inches / 48 x 53 cm
SIGNATURE: lower right
NOTE: This painting was originally published on the Fleetwood commemorative cover for Balke's Shorebirds of the 50 States, cancelled December 28, 1986. Found along freshwater shores and swamps, the White-faced Ibis is very similar in nature to its Eastern cousin, the Glossy Ibis. Except during breeding when the White-faced Ibis acquires the facial plumes which give it its name, the two Ibises are visually indistinguishable. Like the Glossy Ibis, the White-faced feeds and nests in large colonies with herons, egrets and other Ibises. The White-faced Ibis prefers to feed in the muddy shallow bottomlands near its home. It uses its long sickle-shaped bill to seize its prey; its primary diet consists of small amphibians and freshwater crustaceans -- although it will sometimes feed on fish and earthworms. After satisfying its hunger, the White-faced Ibis returns to the noisy, crowded rookery and joins the rest of its flock. The Ibis' nests are built from dead reeds and twigs found along the shoreline, and are usually built on patches of floating vegetation. During breeding, the iridescent sheen of its body plumes contrasts with its dull white face. Both parents take an interest in incubating the four, pale blue-green eggs. They relieve one another with affectionate bill tapping and guttural cooing. In about three weeks the young appear covered with dull, blackish down, and by late summer they can fly and often wander from the breeding site. The use of pesticides is severely affecting the breeding of White-faced Ibises, and their numbers are steadily declining.
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 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.