Description
For sale is a “Black-shouldered Kite” signed lithograph from artist Richard Sloan. Each raptor print is a Limited Edition of 500, and each print is autographed and hand-numbered by the artist. This recently discovered collection of over 16,000 lithographs was printed in 1993 and the prints are in excellent, like-new condition (they have never been owned or displayed, only stored.) The prints are four-color lithographs on archival paper, measuring 17″ wide by 21 3/4″ tall. The print number (“x/500”) is in the lower left corner of the print, while Richard’s autographed signature is in the lower right corner.
Please note: the unique print number you receive will be different from the photo.
Title: Black-shouldered Kite
The tame, elegant Black-shouldered Kite (sometimes called the White-tailed Kite) was formerly shot in large numbers by farmers who thought it threatened their chickens, although the birds feed almost entirely on insects and a few small rodents. The North American population was reduced almost to extinction. Black-shouldered Kites have since made a spectacular comeback in California and Texas and are now common in suitable lowland habitats. Like other kites, they are sociable outside the breeding season, congregating at roosts in groups of a dozen or more. They feed mainly on small rodents and insects, which they locate by hovering kestrel-like high in the air. These kites prefer to rest on treetops or other high lookouts.
Richard Sloan, who passed away in 2007, was a world-renowned wildlife illustrator specializing in raptors whose paintings have been featured in several nature publications and exhibited at numerous museums, galleries, and private collections. In the Spring of 1998, The University of Arizona Press published the book “The Raptors of Arizona“, a 220 page volume on the birds of prey of the Southwest, featuring 42 Sloan paintings. The hand signed limited edition print available for sale here is an authorized reproduction of Richard Sloan’s original paintings also featured in the book.
