Pennsylvania Game News - August 2009 - 26

because the Federation’s art program was so important at that time. I had trouble back in those early years convincing my boss that Ned painted the best wild turkeys of any artist in the country. The major publishers of wildlife art said Ned was an illustrator and not a painter, such as Maass, Gromme, Hagerbaumer or LeBlanc. Those artists, unlike Ned, had big publishers and galleries behind them. Finally, in 1979, at the conception of the NWTF’s Presidential Research series, I convinced enough folks that Ned’s work should be part of our five print program. Ned agreed to paint in oil and donate the painting, a fall scene in what became known as Autumn Descent. It was published and offered for sale in 1983. During that time he also painted the first Pennsylvania State Chapter NWTF stamp print called Hillside Takeoff. This was a portrait of an adult gobbler pitching off the top of a hardwood ridge. It was produced in an edition size of 1,500 prints and was a virtual sellout. In my opinion, this was the best turkey portrait of any of the state or national stamp print programs ever. On his last trip to Edgefield, in 1985, Ned chose my copy of this print, number sixteen of 1,500, and penciled a very special remarque, something he rarely did. What made this original so special was his inscription, which read: “To the world’s best turkey hunter — my old friend, Rob Keck.” That’s some pretty strong stuff, coming from one of my all-time heroes. Autumn Descent was the fourth in the series and breathed new life into a tired program. The ad in Turkey Call magazine captures the essence of one of his greatest works, “Rich morning sunlight reflects off the four adult gobblers as they descend the Blue Ridge mountain. The void of gold, blue and rose space is suddenly filled with the rush of the bronze and copper kings. The viewer can almost hear the thundering of strong wings. Heads search the forest floor below. The huge birds are beautifully captured in time within the warm autumn air. “Along the high ridge, massive rock outcroppings appear. The hardwood landscape is brilliant in shades of gold, brown and yellow. Below and beyond, foreground trees blend into a mix of purple and blue mountain haze. “Ned Smith’s portrait of these wildfowl combines the wildness and elegance that characterizes America’s noblest game bird.” The Presidential Series featured two print image sizes available at $125 and $1,000 each, with edition sizes of 950 and 100 prints respectively. Stamps were also produced and sold for $5 each. The original sold for $15,000, and the entire edition was a sellout, which proved my point that Ned painted the best wild turkey then and, in my opinion, of all time. That spring of 1983, both Ned and Marie, his wife, came to Edgefield to sign the prints. Their visit happened to coincide with South NED presented the author with a wing bone turkey caller, which is now on display with one of the “Spring Gobbler” artist’s proofs Ned also gave the author. 26 GAME NEWS

Pennsylvania Game News - August 2009

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pennsylvania Game News - August 2009