2013 Coeur d’Alene Art Auction / Lot 884 / 309 • View Catalog •
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A framed, limited edition print of this painting with remarque, Artist’s Proof # 1/30 will accompany the lot.
According to Diane K. Inman, “When Harry Adamson was asked to be the Guest Artist for the 13th annual National Wildlife Art Show in 1985, he chose to display this luxurious piece. In an interview before the Adamson retrospective exhibit of 2003 he recalled “I first saw black-bellied whistling ducks resting among purple water hyacinths in southern Texas during the 1950s. I sighted the species later in Mexico and Central America, but it wasn’t until years later, in Venezuela, that I was able to closely study and sketch them for this painting.” The luxuriant tropical setting could be anywhere in the southern United States or northern Mexico. South of the border the species is known to hunters as the “pichiguila ala blanca.” Taking off from the vibrant hyacinth-covered marsh with them are American rails, another common southern game bird.
“Ballet was one of Harry Adamson’s favorite images and one he chose to frame and place on the wall next to his easel when Ducks Unlimited printed it in 1985. There it remained until his death last year. So anyone visiting Adamson’s studio saw this piece before they could see the current work in progress. A portion of the proceeds from this sale will go to the California Waterfowl Association’s Adamson Tribute Fund. The fund has been established to contribute to wetland conservation and encourage young waterfowl artists.”
EXHIBITIONS:
National Wildlife Art Show, Kansas City, Missouri 1985
Birds in Art Exhibition, Leigh Yawkee Woodson Museum, Wausau, Wisconsin, 1985
Wild Wings: The Waterfowl Art of Harry Curieux Adamson, Oakland Museum of California, November 9, 2002 - March 30, 2003
LITERATURE:
Diane K. Inman, From Marsh to Mountain, The Art of Harry Curieux Adamson (San Francisco, California: DI-LES Books, 1999), pages 154-6, illustrated
