Don Balke: Bobcat and Pinon Tree

Artist: Don Balke
1932 -
Nationality: American
Artwork Year: 1979
Image Size: 14.25 by 11.75 inches
Overall Size: 24.125 by 20.125 inches
Medium: Water Color on Water Color Paper

Except for a curiously short tail, wild bobcats look very much like overgrown domestic tomcats. They stand twenty-five inches high at the shoulders, weigh up to twenty-five pounds and are naturally wild. In the arid southwest, Bobcats retreat to rocky hideaways during the day where their coats provide natural camouflage. When twilight settles over New Mexico's Pinon trees they venture into the forests. Traveling by dark, the cats pad softly through the undergrowth. They stalk rabbits, hares, mice, squirrels and other small animals. Their chosen prey is swiftly killed as the Bobcats lift a paw and deadly retractable claws spring forward from their padded feet. When food becomes scarce in one location, the solitary wild cats move on, remaining with company only during the mating season. This brief encounter is a loud affair as the males howl and cry to attract females. After mating, males renew their lonely wanderings and, in the spring, females settle down for almost a year to raise the newborn kittens. The youngsters are blind and helpless at birth but, under their mother's guidance, they learn to defend themselves and forage for food.

This art was originally published in the limited edition collection of philatelic proofcards issued by Fleetwood® and the National Audubon Society for the Wildlife of the 50 States.

Artwork Copyright © 1979 Unicover Corporation. All Rights Reserved under United States and international copyright laws. You may not reproduce, distribute, transmit, or otherwise exploit the Artwork in any way. Images of the Artwork may be watermarked and/or digitally watermarked. Any sale of the physical original does not include or convey the Copyright or any right comprised in the copyright.

Our Stock Number (SKU): XB05763

US$ Price: $1,250.00

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