31” x 31” – Giclee Canvas – AP #6/19

“In the Connemara district of Ireland there are a number of wild and lonely lakes. If you take a boat to a certain island on one of them you will find a path winding into a woodland. The path leads to a clearing and there are the ruins of an early 12th century Christian church. There was a dreadful and dark time for the fledgling Christianity.

Vikings and barbarians were busy robbing and destroying the fragments of the Roman Empire. In remote corners little bands of priests kept the flame of learning and literature alive. The Irish monks were of vital importance in hiding and maintaining the spark of civilization that was there when stability and security returned to Europe (that is, if one can describe the feudal system as stable and secure). I felt that this clearing and this church with the sky for its roof had a very spiritual presence. I cast the painting in green tones … a spiritual colour to me. I added the barn owl, which could have been there. This bird is near the earliest owls on an evolutionary scale. It also has deep symbolic roots in the beliefs of the pre-Christian Europeans. I like the way the owls face echoes the eroded faces of the saints embedded in the Romanesque arch.” – Robert Bateman

Irish Church and Barn Owl is available

Biography

Robert Bateman has been called the most famous living artist. He continues to paint and tour the world to promote conservation and preservation of nature. We have represented Robert Bateman for decades and are now the sole publisher and distributor of his reproductions. We are so honored to work with him and witness his success. He has made such a massive contribution to the art world and the natural world as an artist and educator of the earth’s most important resources.

Nature as a subject is becoming more and more popular as our environment is in peril. What better subject is there than the beautiful creatures we share this world with? Robert Bateman’s appreciation and understanding of nature are apparent in his paintings. He is able to paint flora and fauna the way your eye would perceive it in real life. It is important that the animal takes full attention. The background becomes muted, and therefore it doesn’t take too much focus away from the subject. His paintings seem effortless and masterful all at once.

Bateman’s eye for composition is unparalleled. Each painting is a composed like a symphony, leading the eye to wander. From the backyards of North America to the sprawling plains of Africa. Robert Bateman captures nature the way it should be enjoyed. Above all he is a champion of wildlife. For this reason he has become a household name for art collectors.

Shadow of the Rainforest is available

Biography

Robert Bateman has been called the most famous living artist. He continues to paint and tour the world to promote conservation and preservation of nature. We have represented Robert Bateman for decades and are now the sole publisher and distributor of his reproductions. We are so honored to work with him and witness his success. He has made such a massive contribution to the art world and the natural world as an artist and educator of the earth’s most important resources.

Nature as a subject is becoming more and more popular as our environment is in peril. What better subject is there than the beautiful creatures we share this world with? Robert Bateman’s appreciation and understanding of nature are apparent in his paintings. He is able to paint flora and fauna the way your eye would perceive it in real life. It is important that the animal takes full attention. The background becomes muted, and therefore it doesn’t take too much focus away from the subject. His paintings seem effortless and masterful all at once.

Bateman’s eye for composition is unparalleled. Each painting is a composed like a symphony, leading the eye to wander. From the backyards of North America to the sprawling plains of Africa. Robert Bateman captures nature the way it should be enjoyed. Above all he is a champion of wildlife. For this reason he has become a household name for art collectors.

“The bald eagle is Canada’s largest bird of prey. It gets its name from the word “piebald,” which refers to the two colours of its plumage; adult eagles are mostly dark brown and have white feathers covering their heads and tails.

These eagles have excellent eyesight and thanks to that, they have more visual acuity, and see particularity more than humans do. They are drawn to areas along the coast of North America where food sources, especially salmon, are abundant, and towering trees provide secure nesting sites.

Bald eagles are territorial. A “snag” is a dead or dying tree such as the one this eagle is perching on, which serves as a place to search for food and survey it’s domain.” – Robert Bateman

Robert Bateman has been called the most famous living artist. He continues to paint and tour the world to promote conservation and preservation of nature. We have represented Robert Bateman for decades and are now the sole publisher and distributor of his reproductions. We are so honored to work with him and witness his success. He has made such a massive contribution to the art world and the natural world as an artist and educator of the earth’s most important resources.

Coastal Majesty – Bald Eagle is now available!

“Bald Eagles , more than any bird I know, have particular, individual faces. I feel the way about the faces of lions. It may be my special interest in predators, but I do like to try to capture the unique expression of each Eagle. For this reason, I enjoyed doing this portrait and could indeed do many more without tiring of the subject.”  – Robert Bateman

Bald Eagle Study IV is available

“Bald Eagles , more than any bird I know, have particular, individual faces. I feel the way about the faces of lions. It may be my special interest in predators, but I do like to try to capture the unique expression of each Eagle. For this reason, I enjoyed doing this portrait and could indeed do many more without tiring of the subject.”  – Robert Bateman

Bald Eagle Study I is available

“This drawing exhibits a somewhat different technique for me. I worked with charcoal on very rough watercolor paper so that the texture of the paper would give the feeling of the loose, fluffy plumage of the bird. The beak, feet and eyes of this young snowy are hand-colored in watercolor, so each print in the edition is different.” – Robert Bateman

Young Snowy Owl is available

Biography

Robert Bateman has been called the most famous living artist. He continues to paint and tour the world to promote conservation and preservation of nature. We have represented Robert Bateman for decades and are now the sole publisher and distributor of his reproductions. We are so honored to work with him and witness his success. He has made such a massive contribution to the art world and the natural world as an artist and educator of the earth’s most important resources.

Nature as a subject is becoming more and more popular as our environment is in peril. What better subject is there than the beautiful creatures we share this world with? Robert Bateman’s appreciation and understanding of nature are apparent in his paintings. He is able to paint flora and fauna the way your eye would perceive it in real life. It is important that the animal takes full attention. The background becomes muted, and therefore it doesn’t take too much focus away from the subject. His paintings seem effortless and masterful all at once.

Bateman’s eye for composition is unparalleled. Each painting is a composed like a symphony, leading the eye to wander. From the backyards of North America to the sprawling plains of Africa. Robert Bateman captures nature the way it should be enjoyed. Above all he is a champion of wildlife. For this reason he has become a household name for art collectors.

“The elf owl is the smallest owl in North America. It is the same length as the house sparrow, only 5.25 inches. It’s favorite haunt is in the saguaro cactus country of the Southwest. Growing to 60 feet, these are the giants of the cactus world. As these great plants get older, they begin to fall apart. It is this stage that I like. They become like dilapidated buildings with many marks of events that have taken place. I have seen some that are like magnificent ruined castles. It is these older saguaros that make the best roosting and nesting sites for many creatures, especially elf owls. Here I have depicted a baby elf owl with down on much of his head and body, but with almost fully fledged wings. He has come out of his nesting cavity to look around in the enchanted hour between sunset and dusk, the most glorious time in the desert. Perhaps his brothers and sisters have already flown; perhaps they are still in the nest. Possibly tonight will be the night of his first flight.” – Robert Bateman

Young Elf Owl – Old Saguaro is available

Biography

Robert Bateman has been called the most famous living artist. He continues to paint and tour the world to promote conservation and preservation of nature. We have represented Robert Bateman for decades and are now the sole publisher and distributor of his reproductions. We are so honored to work with him and witness his success. He has made such a massive contribution to the art world and the natural world as an artist and educator of the earth’s most important resources.

Nature as a subject is becoming more and more popular as our environment is in peril. What better subject is there than the beautiful creatures we share this world with? Robert Bateman’s appreciation and understanding of nature are apparent in his paintings. He is able to paint flora and fauna the way your eye would perceive it in real life. It is important that the animal takes full attention. The background becomes muted, and therefore it doesn’t take too much focus away from the subject. His paintings seem effortless and masterful all at once.

Bateman’s eye for composition is unparalleled. Each painting is a composed like a symphony, leading the eye to wander. From the backyards of North America to the sprawling plains of Africa. Robert Bateman captures nature the way it should be enjoyed. Above all he is a champion of wildlife. For this reason he has become a household name for art collectors.

“As a boy, I would ride my bicycle out of the city and explore the woods for hawks and owls. Winter was the best time of year to spot them when most of the trees were bare. But because of the shelter and protection afforded by the white pines, that is where the great horned owls would be found roosting. usually I would explore the pine woods with my eyes on the ground looking for pellets… the regurgitated fur and bones of the mice they had just eaten. It is very difficult to spot an owl concealed in a pine, but just being in the peaceful, aromatic forest would be a treat in itself. I have done six paintings of the
great horned owl, and five of them have been in white pines. This is not because of some master plan or lack of ideas, it is because all of my life I have loved owls and loved white pines. The two are associated in my mind.

This painting shows a great horned owl, not in concealment, but in a more active pose. It is perched on a piece of broken pine branch which has blown down in a storm. I like the way the rhythm of the branches and needle clumps echo the thrust of the owl.

Owls have long been creatures of myth and mystery. The ancient Greeks associated them with Athena, the goddess of wisdom – hence the expression “wise as an owl.”  In other cultures they have been held in awe or viewed with fear. Sometimes they are seen as heralds of victory or harbingers of good luck; at other times they are thought of as ill omens foretelling disaster.  The aura of mystery surrounding owls is heightened by two of their characteristics:
the fringed feathers at the ends of their wings allow them to fly almost soundlessly, and, with a few exceptions, they are nocturnal and therefore often very difficult to see. The largest of our owls, the great horned owl, is a creature of the dark night and the deep forest that nests up high, usually in an abandoned hawk’s nest or in a tree cavity. I have spent many hours searching for this fierce hunter, which will catch and eat birds as large as a small goose and mammals as fleet as the snowshoe hare.  It also dines on porcupine and skunk. If I’m lucky, a noisy mob of crows especially reprehensible. (They have good reason for this, since by night crows become one of this owl’s prey.) If they find a great horned owl trying to take a nap, they wild scold it relentlessly.” – Robert Bateman

Winter Pine Great Horned Owl is available

Biography

Robert Bateman has been called the most famous living artist. He continues to paint and tour the world to promote conservation and preservation of nature. We have represented Robert Bateman for decades and are now the sole publisher and distributor of his reproductions. We are so honored to work with him and witness his success. He has made such a massive contribution to the art world and the natural world as an artist and educator of the earth’s most important resources.

Nature as a subject is becoming more and more popular as our environment is in peril. What better subject is there than the beautiful creatures we share this world with? Robert Bateman’s appreciation and understanding of nature are apparent in his paintings. He is able to paint flora and fauna the way your eye would perceive it in real life. It is important that the animal takes full attention. The background becomes muted, and therefore it doesn’t take too much focus away from the subject. His paintings seem effortless and masterful all at once.

Bateman’s eye for composition is unparalleled. Each painting is a composed like a symphony, leading the eye to wander. From the backyards of North America to the sprawling plains of Africa. Robert Bateman captures nature the way it should be enjoyed. Above all he is a champion of wildlife. For this reason he has become a household name for art collectors.