Who is Robert Bateman a Canadian Wildlife Artist

Robert Bateman, OC, OBC (born 24 May 1930) is a Canadian naturalist and painter, born in Toronto, Ontario.Robert Bateman Official Website: Biography Retrieved October 23, 2007 Even as a child he was interested in art and wildlife. He found inspiration from the Group of Seven, he was also interested in making abstract paintings of nature.Peninsula Gallery: Biography of Robert Bateman Retrieved October 23, 2007 It wasn't until the mid 1960's that he changed to his present style, realism.

Bateman was always interested in art, but he never intended on making a living from it. He was fascinated by the natural world in his childhood. As a child he recorded the sightings of all of the birds in the area of his house in Toronto.Canadian Broadcasting Corporation: the Life And Times of Robert Bateman Retrieved October 23, 2007 In 1954, he graduated with a degree in geography from Victoria College in the University of Toronto. Afterwards, he attended Ontario College of Education. Although the stage was set for an expert wildlife artist, Bateman moved on to be a high school art/geography teacher. However, he still painted in his free time. It wasn't until the 1970's and 1980's that his work started to receive major recognition. Robert Bateman's show in 1987, at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC, drew a large crowd for a living artist.

Bateman also has approximately ten books devoted solely to his paintings. Bateman's decision to produce reproductions of his paintings through Mill Pond Press has been criticized by some who feel that the reproductions are "overpriced posters that cheapen the legitimate art market". The reproductions are popular items, being sold in print galleries across Canada and more internationally.

Today, Robert Bateman lives in Saltspring Island in British Columbia with his wife Birgit Freybe Bateman. Robert Bateman Secondary School in Abbotsford, British Columbia and Robert Bateman High School in Burlington, Ontario are named after him.

In 2005 Bateman volunteered for an assessment of chemicals present in his body that had a proven negative health effect. The assessment was sponsored by the organization Environmental Defence. 32 carcinogens, 19 hormone disruptors, 16 respiratory toxicants, and 42 reproductive/developmental toxicants were found in his body, but luckily he is still alive today.Toxic Nation Report: Robert Bateman Retrieved October 23, 2007.

In 2007, Robert Bateman and Birgit Freybe Bateman gifted Royal Roads University[http://www.royalroads.ca/legacy] with original art, giclées, photographs, sketch books and artifacts ? valued at over $11 million. Royal Roads is currently fundraising to build the Robert Bateman Centre, continuing an ongoing tradition of leadership and innovation at RRU. Much more than just an art gallery, the Robert Bateman Centre aims to be an internationally regarded education centre with a wide range of accessible and relevant programming ? a ?Centre for Dialogue' on sustainability if you will. The Centre will be uniquely situated in the middle of Hatley Park National Historic Site ? one of Canada's largest and most diverse National Historic Sites and will showcase the latest in green building technology. The Centre will be a model of sustainability and a catalyst for Royal Roads University's Sustainability Plan that includes being a climate neutral campus by 2010; reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2020; going ?grid-positive? and minimizing vehicle traffic on campus.

?If I had tried to dream up the perfect fit between an institution and my art, my philosophy, and my life, I could not have come up with a better connection than

Royal Roads University.? Robert Bateman