ROBERT BATEMAN - LIMITED EDITIONS & MORE

ROBERT BATEMAN
Gallinule Family

The composition of this picture was inspired by Japanese art. I like the way the flamboyant iris leaves and flowers create a pattern against the flat background of water. - R. B.

ROBERT BATEMAN
Galloping Herd - Giraffes

Running giraffes make elegant rocking strides, which almost appear to be in slow motion. In this picture, I wanted a tapestry or mural look, flattened by a veil of dust. I was partly inspired by the lyrical rock wall paintings of the African bushmen. - R. B.

ROBERT BATEMAN
Gambel's Quail Pair

I have shown this pair of Gambel's quail in typical habitat of a fairly dry, rocky hillside. I used the shapes in the rocks to echo the plump birds' bodies; the seed heads in the grasses repeat the little forehead tassel of the male. - R. B.

ROBERT BATEMAN
Game Over - Fox and Maple

ROBERT BATEMAN
Gatekeeper

ROBERT BATEMAN
Gentoo Penguins and Whale Bones

The two gentoo penguins huddle among great wrecks of whale bones, colossal monuments that once were masters of the seas. The penguins give a sense of continuing life. April 25, 2008reat bones will stay as a testimony through the years. - R. B.

ROBERT BATEMAN
Ghost of the North - Great Gray Owl

The great gray owl is truly a ghost of the north. It is fleeting and silent. Its wing feathers have downy edges, making its flight totally silent. The colors are subdued, and the patterns provide excellent camouflage. - R. B.

ROBERT BATEMAN
Giant Eagle Owl
from the Sappi Portfolio

ROBERT BATEMAN
Giant Panda

There is a mystique that surrounds the panda. Not only is it rare in captivity, it is also rare in the wild. The almost impenetrable mountain forests where it makes its home are surrounded by mystery. - R. B.

ROBERT BATEMAN
Giant Panda in the Wild

The panda's habitat, however, made me feel right at home. As we climbed the narrow switchback trail that had begun in neatly terraced fields, we entered a region of huge old-growth trees covered with snow that had fallen the previous night. (The panda's depend on these old trees for dens.) Many of the tree species - pine, fir, hemlock, larch and birch - were familiar, as was the cool misty weather. Except for the dense bamboo thickets, I could almost have been walking in an old-growth forest of the Pacific Northwest.  But above all, it is the bamboo under-story that makes these mountain habitats the place for pandas. They feed almost exclusively on this difficult-to-digest and nutrient-poor plant. As descendents of the ancient carnivore ancestor of modern bears, pandas lack the digestive adaptations that might allow them to use their plant food to the maximum, and so they compensate by eating constantly and digesting quickly, on average eighteen pounds a day. To conserve energy, they generally sleep whenever they're not eating, but this still leaves them close to the edge of malnutrition. When a species of bamboo suddenly flowers and dies off - as it may do once in many years - the panda population can drop catastrophically. This is a particular problem now that logging has cleared the lower slopes, where different bamboo species provided an alternate food source. - R. B.

ROBERT BATEMAN
Global Warning

ROBERT BATEMAN
Golden-Crowned Kinglet and Rhododendron

In this work, I wanted to show the diminutive quality of the bird by subordinating it to the blossoms. Although the images have a delicate, feminine look, I was also intrigued by the abstract power created by the shapes in the reflections. - R. B.

ROBERT BATEMAN
Golden Eagle

Whether in the Scottish highlands, the Rocky Mountains, or the Arctic, the golden eagle is a bird of the big sky. Its spectacular aerial acrobatics are the most impressive use of wing and air. - R. B.

ROBERT BATEMAN
Golden Eagle Portrait

The golden eagle is one of the most widespread birds of prey. It is found from Alaska to Nova Scotia and down into Mexico; and in the Old World, it is found from Scotland to eastern Siberia and as far south as Morocco and Korea. - R. B.

ROBERT BATEMAN
Goldeneye Pair

ROBERT BATEMAN
Golden Light - Blacktailed Fawn

Caressed by the sun's golden glow, a young fawn explores its world, just as its predecessors once did, beneath the towering fir trees that stood where forgotten logs now lie. - R. B.

ROBERT BATEMAN
Golden-Headed Lion Tamarin

In conjunction with his Shadow of the Rainforest editions released in January of 1993, R. B. created this limited edition original lithograph of a golden-headed lion tamarin. Proceeds from Mr. Bateman's tamarin edition also help raise funds to protect this most endangered rainforest monkey.

ROBERT BATEMAN
Goldfinch in the Meadow

The well-known goldfinch is a bird of open country and gardens. When I hear their gentle little twitter and see their bounding flight, I am carried back in my imagination to the bright summer days of my boyhood. - R. B.

ROBERT BATEMAN
Goldfinch with Mullein

In this painting, I like the way the old leaves have a textured, sculptural quality that relates to the eroded embankment. The soft, adulatory forms of the grassy hillside are a backdrop to the sentinel-like ramrods of mature mullein stocks. Although many consider them just weeds, to me the mullein plants have the nobility of some ancient aristocrat. The goldfinch is not an afterthought. I put him in the painting partly to give scale, and partly because he is usually found in this type of habitat. I left the bottom unfinished because I enjoyed the sketchy quality of my brush strokes, and I liked the artistic element provided by the white negative spaces. - R. B.

ROBERT BATEMAN
Goshawk

ROBERT BATEMAN
Goshawk and Ruffed Grouse

In the entire living world, the killing of one species must take place so that another species survives. In nature, it is usually done quickly, cleanly and without anger. - R. B.

ROBERT BATEMAN
Grassy Bank - Great Blue Heron

I wanted this painting to convey this scene: a heron at a fishing place by a small stream that has probably had its fill of minnows and frogs and so has folded up into its resting pose. - R. B.

ROBERT BATEMAN
Gray Squirrel

One of the gray squirrel's favorite trees is the American beech, which produces an abundant harvest of sharp-cornered beechnuts. These are gathered by the squirrel and often stored or buried, which often seems less productive for the squirrel than for the perpetuation of beech trees. - R. B.

ROBERT BATEMAN
Gray Squirrel

ROBERT BATEMAN
Great Blue Heron

This elegant bird is the largest of the heron family. Over half of its length is the head and neck, a well-designed javelin system. The gracefully folded neck can straighten with lightning speed, aimed at a luckless frog or fish. With a toss of the head, the prey is swallowed and the hunting pose resumed. - R. B.

ROBERT BATEMAN
Great Blue Heron in Flight

Flattened by the mist, I saw this heron in flight as an image on a Japanese screen; this oriental influence is what prompted me to cut off its wing. The willow branches are a counterpoint to the bird's shapes and help thrust him back into the mist. - R. B.

ROBERT BATEMAN
Great Blue Heron

The process of original printmaking appeals to me because it is a human process; it involves no complex optical equipment other than my own eyes. I believe that technology often separates us from nature, and I like the idea that my original prints are made by my hand. - R. B.

ROBERT BATEMAN
Great Crested Grebe

The great crested grebe is one of the more spectacular European water birds. I particularly enjoy their strong color patterns and striking headdresses when I see them on my trips to Britain and Europe. - R. B.

ROBERT BATEMAN
Great Egret Preening

I have shown this egret taking care of its plumes as its own adornments. This preening is not only important for beauty; it is also necessary for protection from rain and cold. I wanted to achieve a porcelain-like delicacy and transparency. - R. B.

ROBERT BATEMAN
Great Horned Owl in White Pine

In this picture, I have shown the owl in his haughty, angry pose, as if he is staring down the contemptible crows. I wanted to achieve a sense of air and space behind the owl and to give an unstable, oriental look to the composition with the white, empty space at the bottom. - R. B.

ROBERT BATEMAN
Great Horned Owl Study

ROBERT BATEMAN
Greater Kudu Bull

The kudu is one of the most magnificent antelopes in Africa. It is large and swift and elusive. I have been lucky enough to see them in the field on several occasions, but since they live in thick bush country, this is usually quite difficult. - R. B.

ROBERT BATEMAN
Grey-Hooded Kingfisher
from the Sappi Portfolio

One of a set of twelve fine prints, each being an integral part of the exclusive limited editionSappi" portfolio. The portfolio is limited to only 550 in size and proceeds benefit The Sappi Conservation project.  Funds generated from the sale of the portfolio go to the World Wildlife Fund South Africa to further its vital conservation programs. Prints included are: Giant Eagle Owl, Grey-Hooded Kingfisher, Ground Hornbill, King Cheetah, Kudu, Lion Cubs, Pygmy Falcon, Pygmy Geese, Springbok, White Rhinoceros, Blue Cranes and African Buffalo.

ROBERT BATEMAN
Grizzly and Cubs

The little grizzly cubs are doing what comes naturally to almost all young things - they are playing around, which gives one a sense of joy. The cubs, of course, are learning and practicing the skills of life while they're having fun. And, like all higher mammals, the mother bear is hoping to teach them a thing or two.  Luckily, the alpine meadow is unlikely to be developed by man, but the forested parts of the grizzly range and any areas near civilization are being exploited at an alarming rate. Across the bottom of this painting is an eroded bank. I deliberately put the cubs wrestling precariously at the lip of the bank as an allegory for eroding grizzly bear habitat and tumbling grizzly bear numbers. - R. B.

ROBERT BATEMAN
Grizzly at Rest

ROBERT BATEMAN
Grizzly Bear

ROBERT BATEMAN
Grizzly Head Portrait

ROBERT BATEMAN
Ground Hornbill
from the Sappi Portfolio

ROBERT BATEMAN
Gulf Coast and Laughing Gulls

ROBERT BATEMAN
Gulls on Pillings

This setting appealed to me artistically. The accents of the birds on the pilings set up a syncopated rhythm like musical notes on a piano. I also feel that the empty space at the top of the painting is an important positive compositional element that makes a statement on its own. - R. B.