ARTIST: Don Balke (North Carolina, born 1933)
TITLE: Birds - Orchard Oriole
MEDIUM: gouache and watercolor on board
CONDITION: Very good.
ART SIZE: 10 x 10 inches / 25 x 25 cm
BOARD SIZE: 16 x 16 inches / 40 x 40 cm
SIGNATURE: lower middle
PROVENANCE: Collection of James A. Helzer (1946-2008), Founder of Unicover Corporation.
NOTE: This artwork was originally published on the Fleetwood Commemorative Cover for the limited edition collection of The Songbirds of the Fifty States. Each cover was postmarked on the anniversary of statehood in the appropriate state capital. The Orchard Oriole is a distinctive bird of chestnut and black plumage which long ago earned the respect of America's farmers by snatching harmful insects from their carefully tended trees. Though usually content to remain on the farm, when it comes time to raise a family, the denizen of the orchard often forsakes his farmland home for a school yard or front lawn nearer to man. The pouch they construct is so expertly crafted, the Orchard Orioles long ago gained the nickname Basketbirds.
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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.