Wyeth

‘road to Damascus’

From page 3%

sending jobs overseas.

“To me,” he continues, “the
two most frightening words are
‘global economy.’ What it means
is putting our existence in the

“hands of multi-national buc-
caneers who can just push a but- ’
ton and wipe out 10,000 jobs.
They're true pirates. They love free
trade just like pirates.”’

Bateman says he hopes his art
has helped increase environmental

awareness. “If people appreciate
my painting then maybe they'll
appreciate nature, and maybe
they'll protect it.”

A Toronto native and father of
five, Bateman lives on Salt Spring
Island with his wife Birgit, a West
Vancouver native. He is in such
demand as a public speaker that
two full-time assistants help him
cope with the daily barrage of mail
and media.

Still, he manages to reserve.time
for painting.

He doesn’t ‘do art’’ because
he really enjoys it, he says, but
“because | can’t help it.”

Bateman taught high school for
20 years and still maintains an in-
terest in helping young people
discover art (he has worked with
North Vancouver School
District 44’s art program).

He painted his first piece at age
12 but didn’t sell anything until he
was 35. a : oe

From the beginning, he tried to
paint every species of North
American bird until he turned 18,
when‘he dropped wildlife art for a
more impressionistic style.

“7 thought wildlife painting had
_all been done.” oe

From there he moved on to
“sloppy” Group of Seven land-
-scapes, then cubist portrayals of
dragonflies and abstract art. .

The realistic style that Bateman
has become so famous for didn’t

. evolve until he discovered the

- work of American realist Andrew’
Wyeth:

:‘twas my road to Darnascus,’”’
he says. ‘It took me about a year
to evolve out of my. abstract snob-
bery to what | do now.”

ry

66 He painted his
first piece at age
12 but didnt sel!
anything until he
was 35.99

Bateman doesn't hide the fact
that he works from photographs ~
usually 25 to 50 slides for any one
painting, as well as sketches,
plasticine models, stuffed birds
and dead birds he keeps in his
treezer.

“You can take them out for an
hour or so until they slump," he
explains. ;

Birgit, he says, has iasisted on
his and hers freezers.

Bateman has shown his work all
over North America, including the
Smithsonian Institute, and was
appointed an Officer of the Order
of Canada.

But still, the acceptance of the
capital ‘A’ art world eludes him.
In fact, he is often their whipping
boy. ; :
A travel writer once wrote in

». Canadian Art magazine that

Bateman “‘is a decorative il-
lustrator’’ who has ‘‘severe
limitations as a painter.

“His skies are dead, and the
movement of water eludes him. ...
His waterfalls look like frayed
horses’ tails...’’

But Bateman lets those slings
and arrows bounce off of him.

- “It's the least important thing
facing the planet. The only Jess
important thing is sporis scores,”’
he says with awry smile. *

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