ROBERT BATEMAN - LIMITED EDITIONS & MORE

ROBERT BATEMAN
Samantha - Great Horned Owl

ROBERT BATEMAN
Sap Bucket - Myrtle Warbler

A particular pleasure of early spring was a visit to a sugar bush, a maple woodlot being tapped to make maple syrup. The sap begins to run when temperatures exceed freezing during the day then drop below freezing at night. In fact, this alternation between freeze and thaw is crucial to a good flow. During my childhood, sap was still collected by traditional methods, in much the same way that native people had taught the early pioneers to harvest it. When the sap buckets were full, they were emptied into a gathering tank on a horse-drawn sled for transport to the sugarhouse, where the sap was evaporated in big pans over a constantly stoked wood fire.  When I recall maple-sugaring time, I hear the snorting of horses and feel the crunch of last year's leaves beneath the granular late-spring snow. The warm spring sun shines through a barren tracery of branches, casting filigree shadow patterns on the ground. I know that in a few weeks the woods will come alive with wildflowers, but the only signs of life now are the running sap and perhaps an early returning migrant like a yellow-rumped warbler. Inside the sugar house arid woodsmoke mixes with the sweet smell of maple vapors, reputed to be a sure-fire cure for a spring cold. Such memories evoke for me a simpler time, when communal labor was a regular part of most people's lives. - R. B.

ROBERT BATEMAN
The Sappi Portfolio

Twelve signed and numbered prints by R. B.: limited to 550 portfolios. Proceeds from this program benefit The Sappi Conservation Project. Now in its ninth year, The Sappi Conservation Project channels funds generated form the sale of portfolios of the natural world to World Wildlife Fund South Africa to further its vital conservation programs. (Refer individual listings)

ROBERT BATEMAN
Sarah E. with Gulls

I like the way the traditional works of man fit with nature, and nature fits with them. The wooden boat is almost as old as mankind. I like the partly deteriorating surface of this boat and the rickety boardwalk. The gulls also enjoy the place. - R. B.

ROBERT BATEMAN
Sasquatch

ROBERT BATEMAN
Saw-Whet Owl and Wild Grapes

Before my family and I moved to Canada's West Coast, our foothold on the planet was property I had bought in Halton County, southern Ontario, in 1959. I loved those ten sloping acres nestled in the Niagara escarpment and the house I later designed and built there. In the 1960s the Escarpment was already the only rough country that remained in the environs of metropolitan Toronto, which is why I moved there. From my studio window I had a splendid view of one of the Escarpment's more impressive eminences, Rattlesnake Point.  I contemplated that view in every weather and every season, by day and by night. But probably my favorite time was during those golden days of autumn when the eastern hardwood forest is at its most exuberant. My daily hike through our woods and meadow is like a feast for the senses. I reveled in the rich dank smell of decay and the incredible variety of form and color - the jewelweed and goldenrod that often grow as high as my chin and the intricate tracery of wild grapes, whose leaves, stems and tendrils remind me of Tiffany lamps. - R. B.

ROBERT BATEMAN
Scarlet Tanager and Alder Blossoms

ROBERT BATEMAN
The Scolding - Chickadees and Screech Owl

The Scolding depicts one of those small domestic dramas that we all encounter every now and then - only this is a wilderness drama. The chickadees are "scolding" the screech owl, which has tried to hide deep in the boughs of a tree during the day. - R. B.

ROBERT BATEMAN
Screech Owl Study

ROBERT BATEMAN
Screened Porch

ROBERT BATEMAN
Sea Otter Study

The sea otter spends a lot of time floating on its back. Sea otters rest by wrapping themselves in kelp so they can move with the swells without being carried along by the current - an enviable life. - R. B.

ROBERT BATEMAN
Shadow of the Rainforest

Part of my fascination with the jaguar, the largest wild cat of the Americas, stems from my interest in big predators. But like many large carnivores that live at the peak of their particular food pyramid, the jaguar also stands as a sApril 23, 2008run: yes">  Its varied diet alone demonstrates the diversity of the habitat it requires, preying as it does on at least sixty different species, including the razor-tusked rainforest pig called the peccary, and the capybara, which as the largest living rodent weighs as much as 132 pounds.  I've never seen a jaguar in the wild - only jaguar footprints in the jungle of Belize. But that somehow seems appropriate for this swift and solitary hunter. The jaguar once ranged from the southwestern United States to southern Argentina. Now, except in the still-vast rainforest of the Amazon basin, jaguars are very rare, their numbers having been drastically reduced by big-game hunters and the vanishing habitat. - R. B.

ROBERT BATEMAN
Shadow of the Rainforest
Premier Edition

Part of my fascination with the jaguar, the largest wild cat of the Americas, stems from my interest in big predators. But like many large carnivores that live at the peak of their particular food pyramid, the jaguar also stands as a symbol of the disappearing tropical forest. Its varied diet alone demonstrates the diversity of the habitat it requires, preying as it does on at least sixty different species, including the razor-tusked rainforest pig called the peccary, and the capybara, which as the largest living rodent weighs as much as 132 pounds.  I've never seen a jaguar in the wild - only jaguar footprints in the jungle of Belize. But that somehow seems appropriate for this swift and solitary hunter. The jaguar once ranged from the southwestern United States to southern Argentina. Now, except in the still-vast rainforest of the Amazon basin, jaguars are very rare, their numbers having been drastically reduced by big-game hunters and the vanishing habitat. - R. B.

ROBERT BATEMAN
Sheer Drop - Mountain Goats

Of all of the American mammals, the world of the mountain goat is the most rarified and precipitous, and yet he negotiates it with the nonchalant ease of a stroll in the park. I would be in a state of sheer terror if I was in their position, but the goats' bland expressions are compatible with their confidence. - R. B.

ROBERT BATEMAN
Shelter

The barn is a wonderful part of man's architectural heritage. Through many centuries, it has evolved almost as a living, breathing thing. - R. B.

ROBERT BATEMAN
Shrike Pair and Hawthorn

Although I am a great supporter of wilderness, an important part of my psyche has a strong pull toward the hand of man interacting with nature. However, this must be traditional human activity, not the modern industrial variety. Many of the happiest hours of my childhood were spent roaming old pastures. Old pastures gave a perfect mixed habitat for variety in nature.  A common tree species was the hawthorn or thorn apple, which gave great protection for nesting birds. In spring, the smell of hawthorn flowers fills me with joy of that season, and in fall the red berries not only look decorative, but also provide food for many species. Hawthorns have also always been associated with shrikes. The shrike's nickname is the "butcher bird" because of its tendency to impale prey on a thorn. - R. B.

ROBERT BATEMAN
Siberian Night

Bateman's enigmatic Siberian Night depicts a snow covered forest that conceals a secret as mysterious as the woods themselves; a presence unheard and unseen by most, until now.

ROBERT BATEMAN
Siberian Tiger

ROBERT BATEMAN
Siberian Tiger
Prestige Editon

ROBERT BATEMAN
Sierra Evening - Mexican Wolf

$200

The American Southwest is a region a stark mountains, arid grasslands and vast deserts, yet it harbors an amazing variety of plants and animals. Unfortunately, among the animals we can no longer find the Mexican wolf, el lobo, the smallest wolf subspecies, which formerly flourished from the southwestern United States to southern Mexico. As cattle ranching expanded, the Mexican wolf declined, poisoned or shot as a threat to livestock. Although a few wild members of this vanishing race may still survive in remote parts of Mexico, there have been no recent sightings. The survival of this subspecies will therefore depend on the successful release of captive-bred wolves into safe wilderness. - R. B.

ROBERT BATEMAN
Silent Witness

$655

The wolf, symbol of northern wilderness, was on the brink of extinction throughout much of his former range. Thanks to the efforts of dedicated conservationists, the wolf will once again roam the wilderness in the new millenium. Silent Witness represents the last and one of the most captivating wolf paintings of the 20^th century by the artist named as one of its Champions of Conservation.

ROBERT BATEMAN
Sleeping - Snow Leopard

ROBERT BATEMAN
Smallwood

Those who have had a dog who hikes with you will know the special relationship I had with my dog, Smallwood. We had many wonderful times together, exploring the world of nature. Sometimes we showed things to each other, but mostly we ambled together - on separate wavelengths - sharing enthusiasm, exercise and the joy of being alive. - R. B.

ROBERT BATEMAN
Snow Leopard

The remarkable thing about the snow leopard is the world in which it lives. The high, remote Himalayan Mountains are some of the most rugged and hostile environments on the planet. Very little is known about the snow leopard in the wild; study of the animal is particularly difficult because of the lack of opportunity to observe it. - R. B.

ROBERT BATEMAN
Snowy Hemlock - Barred Owl

To me the barred owl is like the spirit of the deep forest. This is partially due to his image and partly the association of his world. Most other owls appear fierce, with their piercing yellow eyes, but the eyes of the barred owl are like dark, mysterious pools. They seem to tell of the deep and unknowable wild and reflect the ancient spirit of some sacred grove. - R. B.

ROBERT BATEMAN
Snowy Morning - Blue Jay

Surprisingly these bright creatures are able to camouflage themselves masterfully in their habitat, but I have shown this singular fellow in a serene wintry moment, where the eye can enjoy his cool and elegant markings. - R. B.

ROBERT BATEMAN
Snowy Nap

ROBERT BATEMAN
Snowy Owl

The snowy owl is the most famous bird of the far north, and it is my favorite. Since my boyhood birding days, I have seen snowy owls during their winter sojourn in southern Canada. The sighting of each snowy owl was so special I can remember almost every one. This original hand-colored print depicts a female of the species. She has stronger black markings, which, of course, give her better camouflage, when she sits on her tundra nest. - R. B.

ROBERT BATEMAN
Snowy Owl and Milkweed

The snowy owl is a special bird to me. It was one of the most exciting birds, which I dreamed of seeing in my early teen years. It symbolized the great Canadian North. - R. B.

ROBERT BATEMAN
Snowy Owl on Driftwood

The owl is perched on some driftwood along the edge of a winter lake. I enjoy speculating on the driftwood's origins and the adventures it has had to bring it to this spot, thus becoming a lowly perch for an elegant bird. - R. B.

ROBERT BATEMAN
Snowy Range - Canada Lynx

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Song of the South - Carolina Wren

ROBERT BATEMAN
Spanish Pig

Among the animals that forage beneath these trees are the local free-range pigs, who fatten up on the same acorns that attract cranes. In fact, over time the oaks have been selectively bred in favor of the sweetest nuts, which give Extremadura ham its much-prized sweet flavor. Even though these pigs ultimately meet the same fate as their more confined relatives, they have wonderful life while it lasts, bathing in crystal clear streams and browsing at will. One particular pig I got to know was owned by the proprietors of a two-thousand-year-old tavern, one of the oldest in Europe, which stands on an ancient Roman road and has been serving customers continuously since Roman times. - R. B.

ROBERT BATEMAN
Sparring Elephants

ROBERT BATEMAN
Spirit Bear

The spirit bear, with its white or creamy golden coat, is a subspecies of the black bear. According to native Tsimshian legend, the mythological raven created the spirit bear as a living reminder of the glaciers that once covered the ancient homelands. The present day land of the bear is the picture of northwestern paradise. - R. B.

ROBERT BATEMAN
Spirits of the Forest

I was privileged to visit the best place where these totems of the tribes of the northwest coast of America still stand. I felt a strong spiritual presence there, one of the most moving experiences of my life. The visages on the poles face the sea, with their backs to the giant, cathedral-like forest. - R. B.

ROBERT BATEMAN
Split Rails - Snow Buntings

One of the most exciting winter sights for me is a flock of snow buntings. They seem to flash and twinkle. At times, they are whiter than the snow as they wheel and dash, almost as one bird. - R. B.

ROBERT BATEMAN
Spring Cardinal

Spring, in its various stages, is ushered in by different events, usually the return of certain birds or the blooming of different flowers. The cardinal, however, is not a migrant. He indicates spring not with his arrival, but with his song. - R. B.