Pheasant Sitting In Field

by Don Balke

Title

Pheasant Sitting In Field

Artist

Don Balke

Medium

Painting - Watercolor On Cold Press Illustration Board

Description

From the ancient land of Colchis, at the foot of the Caucasus Mountains on the Black Sea came the colorful pheasant. Proving to be an epicure's delight, the bird was eventually brought to ancient Greece and raised for food. From there, it was transported to Rome, and then to western Europe. As America's thirteen colonies became a nation, the pheasant was introduced in the western hemisphere as well. Perhaps the most successful of these introductions was engineered in the 1880's by Judge Owen Denny. Denny was serving as United States Consul General in Shanghai at the time. He sent several dozen Chinese pheasants to Oregon where theywere released in the Willamette Valley. As a result of this and other plantings, the pheasant has dispersed into almost every state of the Union. Today, American grain fields -- particularly in North and South Dakota and Nebraska -- are alive with the Ring-Necked Pheasant. Literally, millions of these beautiful birds scurry through the low cover, feasting on the grains, seeds, and berries of the northern plains. When roused, they cackle noisily, taking to flight on whining wings. It is a beautiful sight, the handsome male raising his iridescent head toward the sky, his long tail sporting plumes of color, bright against the firmament. The stamp on this First Day Cover depicts a Ring-Necked Pheasant taking to the air. It was issued as part of the rate change in 1988.

Please note the "Fine Art America" watermark will not appear on the painting or any print reproduction.

Artwork Copyright © 1988 Wind River Studios Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved under United States and international copyright laws. You may not reproduce, distribute, transmit, or otherwise exploit the Artwork in any way. Any sale of the physical original does not include or convey the Copyright or any right comprised in the Copyright. WRSH Stock Number XB11593

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April 7th, 2022

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