If you think of contemporary artists, does the name Robert Bateman come to mind? He is “one of Canada’s foremost artists, … also a naturalist recognized by the Audubon Society as one of the 20th century’s “heroes of conservation”.” (1) He has long been my favourite living artist, portraying wildlife in a way that blends realism with creativity and imagination.
How much do I admire his paintings? Well, I have several of his works in my home; all artists’ proofs or prints, because I can’t afford any of his original artworks! I bought the first one in the early 90s, when I was in the Air Force reserves. It was a a gift to myself, for finishing top in my class in the Lieutenant Qualification Course.
That large framed numbered print is “Gulls on Pilings”; a group of seagulls sitting on pilings, on a grey day, with one seagull facing off in a different direction from the others. The second Robert Bateman ‘animal’ I acquired is much smaller, a print featuring an adorable hedgehog. The most recent was a milestone birthday gift from my husband, the “Lynx in Snow”. One of only seventy-six signed ‘artist proof’ lithograph prints of this beautiful Canadian cat, at dusk.
Earlier this year, when I decided to try to learn how to paint and to draw – to use art as a way to help me deal with the chronic pain of my rare disease – I began searching for Canadian art initiatives that were available online due to the current pandemic. One of my first stops was the website of Robert Bateman’s charitable organization, The Bateman Foundation, and I was very impressed with their no-cost materials and activities.
The Bateman Foundation is currently one of the only non-profits in Canada that promote our connections with nature using artworks.
One of the Foundation’s core initiatives is the Bateman Gallery, which hosts the largest collection of works by legendary artist and naturalist Robert Bateman, along with a rotation of nature-inspired exhibits and a full schedule of programs.” (1)
They offer a number of art programs for children and schools, free nature-centric educational materials for families and homeschooling, art-creation videos featuring Robert Bateman, and live nature-sketching and watercolour workshops led by different artists. (2)
Two programs in particular caught my attention. First off, they’re currently running the “Sketch Across Canada” (3) initiative, distributing free sketchbooks to people across the country. Second, The Bateman Foundation is also offering both in-person and online Therapeutic Art Sessions with the goal of “strengthening emotional wellness” (4) during this difficult pandemic period.
This month I noticed that they had a launched a national nature photography contest on social media, to call attention to the plight of Canada’s forests. This contest was being run in conjunction with an exhibition of artworks by Suze Woolf, at the Bateman Gallery. Entitled “State of the Forest”, this exhibition is taking place from July 31 through September 25, 2021 as “part of the ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT II traveling museum exhibition.” (5)
On a whim, I decided to submit one of my own nature photos on Twitter, using the contest hashtag #StateOfTheForestContest. This one was taken in the forest near my home, before the deer trotted silently away. My husband and I had been snowshoeing there this winter, when we surprised a small herd of white-tailed deer grazing in a meadow. Surprisingly, I had time to pull out my phone and snap this photo before the deer disappeared into the snow.
Photo ©Sandra Woods 
Photo ©Sandra Woods
My contest-entry photo caption, providing all the required information within Twitter’s 200 characters, was:
The beautiful Anse à l’Orme forest near my home in Montréal encompasses several re-wilded farm fields, where white-tailed deer often forage during the winter months.
We sometimes see them, while snowshoeing quietly through.” (6)
This is the same beautiful forest, by the way, that my husband and I have been fighting to protect for almost twenty years – along with a local grass-roots group. In 2019 the City of Montréal announced that this forest will be included in the plan for Canada’s largest municipal park, so it seems as though we’ve succeeded in protecting it:
The park, which will be eight times larger than New York’s Central Park, will be an amalgamation of existing parks and land in high risk flood areas”. (7)
As for The Bateman Gallery’s nature photography competition, it was judged by the artist Suze Woolf, and wrapped up yesterday. I was very happily surprised to hear that my snapshot had come in second, across the country, with an Honourable Mention!
The winners were announced yesterday, on the Facebook page of The Bateman Foundation:
To celebrate our new State of The Forest exhibit and to raise awareness of the serious issue of wildfires, we are crowning the winner of the #StateofTheForestContest.
We have received beautiful and inspiring submissions and we are grateful for the opportunity to bring attention to such a serious issue! …
Suze Wolf judged the contest herself and had this to say…
Honourable mention to @SandraWoodsMtl from Twitter, “beautiful subtle values and textures, the contrast of the warmth of the mammals and the cold snow”.” (8)
This is the second time that one of my nature photos has been recognized. The first was one was selected for a juried community art exhibition back in 2018, and was displayed in a public gallery-style setting for several months. Who knows, maybe someday one of my future watercolour paintings will end up in an art exhibition or finishing well in a contest! I’ll be sure to let you know if that happens.
In the meantime, as always, thanks so much for stopping by – and I wish you some happy surprises in the coming weeks. Stay safe, take care of yourself, and look after your well-being. And please feel free to reach out via Instagram or Twitter if you’d like to comment on this post or any others.
References
(1) About Us. The Bateman Foundation. Website. Undated. Accessed 28 Aug 2021:
https://batemanfoundation.org/about-us/
(2) Nature Sketch. The Bateman Foundation. Website. Undated. Accessed 28 Aug 2021:
https://batemanfoundation.org/nature-sketch/
(3) Sketch Across Canada. The Bateman Foundation. Website. Undated. Accessed 28 Aug 2021:
https://batemanfoundation.org/sketch-across-canada/
(4) Therapeutic Art Sessions. The Bateman Foundation. Website. Undated. Accessed 28 Aug 2021:
https://batemanfoundation.org/therapeutic-art/
(5) Suze Woolf – State of the Forest. The Bateman Foundation. Website. Undated. Accessed 28 Aug 2021:
https://batemanfoundation.org/exhibits/state-of-the-forest/
(6) The beautiful Anse à l’Orme forest… Sandra Woods. Twitter. 18 Aug 2021. Accessed 28 Aug 2021:
(7) The City Of Montreal Is Officially Buying Land To Create The Largest Urban Park In Canada. Teddy Elliot. MtlBlog. Narcity Media (digital media publishers). 16 Oct 2019. Accessed 28 Aug 2021:
https://www.mtlblog.com/montreal/the-city-of-montreal-is-officially-buying-land-to-create-the-largest-urban-park-in-canada
(8) To celebrate our new State of The Forest exhibit and to raise awareness of the serious issue of wild fires, we are crowning the winner of the #StateofTheForestContest. The Bateman Foundation. Facebook page. 27 Aug 2021. Accessed 28 Aug 2021:
https://www.facebook.com/batemanfdn/photos/a.1655363497926044/4003795146416189