Don Balke Framed and Signed Lithograph - "Ruffed Grouse" Birds Phoenix AZ

This lithograph by Don Balke of "Ruffed Grouse" is absolutely stunning. The detail is truly amazing and looks like a photograph from just a couple feet away. It was professionally framed in 1991. A Balke lithograph recently sold for $800 on eBay and my price is much more modest. Frame dimensions are 28" by 34". Print dimensions are at least 18" by 24". Now for the artist bio.... Don Balke, one of America's finest wildlife and nature artists, grew up on a backwoods farm in Wisconsin. The youngest of ten children, his family depended totally upon the land for its livelihood. This particular area was wild country with abundant wildlife. In such a situation of dependence on nature, he could not help but become very aware of the environment that supplied his family's daily needs. Don and Barbara, his partner in business as well as in life, paid their first visit to the Southern Appalachians many years ago. They loved the climate, the mountains and the Outer Banks, and in 1979 they moved to the foothills of the North Carolina mountains with four of their six children. In 1985 a gallery was opened on their land near Marion, NC. Here all of Don's prints are on display and available for purchase, as well as some of his beautiful original paintings. Their son, Jim, also shows his original lighthouse paintings, portraits, and other works. The guest list includes visitors from all the 50 States, Canada, South America, New Zealand, Eaurope and around the world. The artist also loves the Rockies and the Sierras of the West, and the exciting, challenging colors of the canyonlands and deserts. The oceans, trees, clouds, flowers - everthing is of interest to him. He travels frequently for research and inspiration. When traveling in the USA and Canada, Don and Barbara enjoy riding motorcycle, experiencing all the variations in climate caused by elevation, streams, trees, and weather systems. Traveling this way has given them a great respect for all the the strength the pioneers had in order to endure the conditions of their travel, as well as a better understanding of the rigors of existence for wildlife and the adaptations they have made. They have criss-crossed the country from the Atlantic to the Pacific, from Labrador and British Columbia to Florida and Southern California, and most places in-between. Several trips to Hawaii and Alaska have rounded out his visits to the States. Some of his most memorable trips abroad include an exciting safari in Africa complete with establishing new camps every night, baths in streams, and cooking over fire; a month-long exploration of the eastern half of Australia - Queensland, NSW, Victoria, Kangaroo Island and Tasmania; several weeks exploring Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland; and visits to a number of Caribbean Islands to discover their differences. He feels the necessity of experiencing all the glorious and subtle colors of nature with his own eyes in order to capture them in paint. Don won his first art award in grade school in a state-sponsored contest - his subject was a black bear in the woods of their home! He has had exhibitions at one-man shows across the country. His art is found in collections all over the USA and beyond, and is part of the art collections of the Vatican and China. He has won Blue Ribbons at the Ducks Unlimited National Show, was chosen for the Leigh-Yawkey-Woodson Museum Best-In-Contemorary Bird Art exhibit. His art has also been chosen by the North Carolina Zoo for their poster from over 300 paintings, by the Boy Scouts for their Eagle Scout print, and many other honors. In addition to his own reproductions and other private commissions, Don has created many collections of wildlife and nature art. Many of these collections numbered 50 paintings. He has researched and painted most of the birds and animals of the USA and the environments in the state where they are found. These include a collection sanctioned by the National Audubon Society honoring their 75th Anniversary (the Audubon President stated that Balke's paintings ". . . capture the character of each animal. . . he is a master."); a collection issued through the National Wildlife Federation and benefiting that organization; collections of the birds & flowers of Canada, wading birds, trees, habitats and more. Don also participated in the International Audubon Fund Birds for the World series for which he has painted birds of Holland, the Bahamas, Uganda, Israel, Hungary and Lesotho. Balke Reproductions have won many Blue Ribbon awards from the Printing Industries of America, a very prestigious group which annually honors a chosen few - picked from thousands of submissions - as the best prints of the year. They have also been displayed in the International Print Show in Germany as examples of the finest in reproductive art. The artist enjoys bringing to his paintings the splendid and profuse colors of nature in his own distinctive style. While realism and authenticity are an integral part of Don's work, his paintings are much more than just nature studies. Getting up close to a Balke painting is like being outdoors and getting up close to Nature itself. His work has the vitality of life infused into it, and a frequent comment is that his paintings are "real enough to touch". Don captures the timeless language of nature in his paintings, and feels well rewarded in knowing that others are enjoying his work with him. His latest collection, a totally new style and medium (oil), was shown for the first time in 2004, and these wonderful paintings can also be seen at the Don Balke Gallery. He has long wanted to paint many of the incredibly beautiful scenes from his travels in oil, and he is enjoying creating these scenes.

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