[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 53 (Tuesday, April 14, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E478-E479]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          HONORING DAVID PLANK

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JASON SMITH

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 14, 2015

  Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the 
outstanding achievements and successful career of David Plank from 
Salem, Missouri. For over fifty years, David Plank has created 
beautiful watercolor paintings of birds that have been recognized and 
admired all over the country.
  David Plank's talented skills derive from a dedication and passion 
for the arts, rather than from formal training. All of his drawings are 
completed in the open air and near the natural habitats of his 
subjects. David Plank never uses photographs, he captures the posture 
and attitude of his subjects in his drawings, and then he goes inside 
and paints. This unique process is what has worked for David for so 
many years; he estimates he has painted more than 1,400 birds 
throughout his career.
  Among his accomplishments, he has painted eleven covers for Bird 
Watcher's Digest and been featured in exhibits at the Springfield Art 
Museum and Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum. David hopes his paintings 
will continue to reflect the good feelings and thoughts he has for 
birds to future generations of onlookers.
  For his many contributions to the arts and his many successes, it is 
my pleasure to recognize David Plank before the United States House of 
Representatives.

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