Description
Lily Pads and Loon – 15″ x 40″, Renaissance Giclee Canvas, 180/40, $895.00 U.S.
“Through the dark, quiet water moves the loon. It is early summer, and the chick or chicks have not quite hatched. Loons are loud and boisterous in late summer and when far from the nest. But during the nesting period, they are silent and secretive. It is surprising how a small lake can hide such a large bird. Very few sites are suitable for the nest. The waters’s edge is only inches above water level.
The loon is considered the most primitive of North American birds. That means it is most like its reptilian ancestors. It is built for a strictly aquatic life with its legs so far back that it cannot walk on land. It pushes itself along sliding on the belly. Therefore, the nest must be inches and seconds away from the water. It nests in grasses or reeds. Rocky shores, bluffs or beaches will not do. The nest site must also be sheltered from waves. In most northern lakes, this means that the southern and eastern shores are ineligible because of prevailing north and west winds. A new and serious threat to loon breeding
success is the power boat which can create waves in sheltered bays which wash the eggs into the water. Thus, locations which have not had waves for centuries may suddenly have a violent motor boat wake which heedlessly wipes out one loon hatching for that year. So secretive are the loons at nesting time that I have never found a nest of the pair on our cottage lake though I have been going there as a boy.
In this painting I wanted to convey that feeling. I made it long and horizontal to give it a secretive, tranquil look. I played up the lily pads and grasses and made the water velvety, blackish green with light splotches that camouflage the loon so well near shore.” – Robert Bateman
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.
