ARTIST: Dean Ellis (New York, 1920 - 2009) NAME: Killer Whale YEAR: 1989 MEDIUM: acrylic on board CONDITION: Excellent. No visible inpaint under UV light. SIGHT SIZE: 15 x 20 inches / 38 x 50 cm BOARD SIZE: 24 x 24 inches / 60 x 60 cm SIGNATURE: lower right NOTE: Carnivores -- on land and in the sea -- have felt the wrath of mankind throughout history. The beautiful black and white Killer Whale is no exception to this rule. The largest of the porpoise family, the Killer Whale has obtained a bad reputation as willing to eat anything in sight including, sometimes, man himself. Even the whale's name is a reflection of that claim. However, the last three decades have drawn a more accurate picture of the strikingly-marked whale. Today, Orcinus orca is found in aquariums throughout the world, where thousands are enthralled by the animal's intelligence and gentleness. PROVENANCE: This painting was published on the Fleetwood First Day of Issue Maximum Card for U.S. 25c Killer Whale stamp issued October 3, 1990.; Collection of James A. Helzer (1946-2008), Founder of Unicover Corporation. CATEGORY: antique vintage painting SKU#: 116927 US Shipping $60 + insurance. AD: ART CONSIGNMENTS WANTED. CONTACT US BIOGRAPHY: Dean Ellis was born in Detroit, Michigan and studied at the Cleveland School of Art from 1939 to 1942 and with Karl Zerbe at the Boston Museum School of Fine Arts from 1946 to1947. His work is owned by the Cleveland Museum of Art and in many private collections._x000B__x000B_ He served as an infantryman in the Pacific during World War II; after the war he worked as an illustrator in Cleveland, Ohio, while developing a reputation as a painter. In 1950, Life magazine included him among nineteen of the most promising American painters. Settling in New York in 1956, he was awarded a fellowship for work at the McDowell Colony, and his work is represented in many public collections. Ellis has designed stamps for the U.S. Postal Service and several foreign governments. Portraits painted by Ellis hang in the Metropolitan Club, the Union League, Columbia University in New York City, and the Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota, Florida. Exhibitions of his work have been held in New York, Philadelphia, Atlanta, and Cleveland.