ARTIST: Don Balke (North Carolina, born 1933)
TITLE: Bird - Eastern Bluebird and Trillium
MEDIUM: gouache and watercolor on board
CONDITION: Very good.
ART SIZE: 13 x 15 inches / 33 x 38 cm
BOARD SIZE: 20 x 23 inches / 50 x 58 cm
SIGNATURE: lower right
NOTE: This painting was originally published on the Fleetwood commemorative cover for the Birds and Flowers of Canada - Ontario, cancelled June 30, 1978. EASTERN BLUEBIRD Sialia sialis The sweet liquid warble of this early spring migrant was music that Henry Thoreau looked forward to with eagerness. While the bright blue of the male pleased his eyes, even more pleasing to him was the bird's song in flight. When the Eastern Bluebird's song finally reached his ears, spring seemed at last to have arrived. Often deceived by prematurely mild weather, many Bluebirds return north too soon, and are killed by sleet and ice storms. For this and other reasons, the Bluebird is now rare in vast portions of the east. Fortunately, many concerned individuals help shelter the early-returning Bluebirds by building nest boxes. TRILLIUM Trillium grandiflorum Trilliums are easily recognized because their wax-white flowers are in sets of three. The common name of Wakerobin, though often used for the whole genus, is more often applied to the earliest-flowering species. The leaves, also in threes, are in whorls, each leaf deeply veined, broad and pointed, some with stems, others clasping the main stem. All members of this species grow best in moist woodland soil, but they will also grow in semi-shaded gardens and rockeries. Collecting Trilliums from all woodland regions can be a rewarding pastime, as many variants exist and all, with reasonable care, seem to thrive well beyond their original areas.
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.