If you have not heard – Robert Bateman is coming to Clearwater, Friday, Oct. 4 at 7 p.m. to the Clearwater Secondary School.
The following is a little introduction to this extraordinary man.
Born in 1930 in Toronto, Mr. Bateman grew up with a deep fascination for the natural world and his need to understand it. As a small child, he would record all the birds he saw in his neighborhood and during his teenage years, he began interpreting nature into a variety of artistic styles. He was greatly inspired by the Group of Seven – the most important group of Canadian artist of the early 20th Century (http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/articles/group-of-seven).
One might think he would leave high school to study art, but in fact he studied geography at the University of Toronto. He then went on to the Ontario College of Education, and became a high school geography teacher. He would paint during his spare time and his work began receiving major interest.
Since 1967 he had several one-man exhibitions. His show at the Smithsonian Institute in 1987 drew huge crowds. According to one website, his work was included in collections HRH The Prince Philip, the late Princess Grace of Monaco and Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands. His love for the natural world and his incredible artwork has earned many accolades, such as being in the top 100 environmental proponents of the 20th Century by the Audubon Society of Canada, and having a secondary, high school and elementary school named after him. He has also received numerous honorary doctoral degrees.
To hear Mr. Bateman speak is something you truly don’t want to miss.
This event is part of the Wells Gray World Heritage Series.
