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ROBERT BATEMAN
Majesty on the Wing

The air is the eagle's domain, and I wanted to capture the presence of the atmosphere. The wings seem to seize volumes of air. I have orchestrated the shapes of the snow patches to echo the strokes of the wing feathers and to emphasize the thrust of the bird through the air. - R. B.

ROBERT BATEMAN
Majesty on the Wing - Bald Eagle

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ROBERT BATEMAN
Mallard Family at Sunset

I really enjoy visiting the marshlands at any time of year, but it is especially exciting in the springtime when there is a chance of finding nests or seeing broods of young birds. This is a marsh along the eastern seaboard. We had had an exciting day observing laughing gulls, oystercatchers and ospreys.  At the end of the day, I was lingering to enjoy the patterns of glowing light and strong dark silhouettes. The scene was very satisfying, even from the strictly abstract point of view, but my excitement was enhanced when a little piece of silhouette detached itself and became a hen mallard with her brood of downy ducklings hurrying to find a safe place for the night. - R. B.

ROBERT BATEMAN
Mallard Family - Misty Marsh

The mallard is perhaps the best known duck in the world. It would seem that its population should prosper throughout its range, however, due to various factors, some of these populations are seriously declining. Over-hunting and habitat reduction may be involved. - R. B.

ROBERT BATEMAN
Mallard Pair - Early Winter
1985 - First of Canada Duck Stamp Print

The mallard is perhaps the best known duck in the world. It would seem that its population should prosper throughout its range, however, due to various factors, some of these populations are seriously declining. Over-hunting and habitat reduction may be involved. - R. B.

ROBERT BATEMAN
Mangrove Morning - Roseate Spoonbills

This painting is loosely based on a scene I witnessed in the Everglades one beautiful Easter morning; I rearranged it, however, to create the feeling of an oriental tapestry. I wanted to give an effect similar to old shot silk. I played with the colors so that they would be somewhat tropical and lavish, perhaps reminiscent of a Gaugin painting. - R. B.

ROBERT BATEMAN
Mangrove Shadow - Common Egret

ROBERT BATEMAN
Manor House - Wren and Roses

ROBERT BATEMAN
Marbled Murrelet

Paddling my canoe around Salt Spring Island, I often see marbled murrelets bobbing and diving for small fish. Only recently have researchers discovered that these birds actually nest on the pads of moss growing on the high branches of ancient trees in British Columbia's old-growth forests, evidence of the interdependence of species and of the importance of virgin forests in ensuring biodiversity. These tiny relatives of the auks and puffins - almost always seen in pairs - look so unlikely riding the sea swells; I always imagine they will simply get swallowed up in the vastness of the ocean. - R. B.

ROBERT BATEMAN
Marginal Meadow

In working to convey the idea of air and space and depth around all these plants, I imagined that I was a field mouse running in and out through them or an insect buzzing around them. Although it is on a small scale, this is still a landscape and is based as much on rhythmic patterns and impressionist and cubist techniques as on meticulous detail. - R. B.

ROBERT BATEMAN
Master of the Herd - African Buffalo

The African buffalo is perhaps the most exciting member of the bovine family. He is sometimes mistakenly called the water buffalo, but he is a far cry from that rather slovenly domestic beast of Asia. The African buffalo is more like a wild, free, fighting bull on a much more massive scale. He is considered by most expert hunters as the most dangerous quarry in Africa. - R. B.

ROBERT BATEMAN
The Mating Game

ROBERT BATEMAN
May Maple - Scarlet Tanager

The scarlet tanager is perhaps the most vivid, almost tropical-looking bird of the Temperate Zone. He seems out of place in the green deciduous forests of the Northeast, but that is where he belongs. The red is really what I call vermilion, a sort of orange-red rather than scarlet. It seems to be lit from within, even on dull day. - R. B.

ROBERT BATEMAN
Meadow's Edge - Mallard

In this picture, I have shown the mallard drake as a birder often sees him, in a rather quiet, almost domestic scene. I have used back lighting and a color combination of flowers, grass and water to harmonize with the colors of the bird. While the hen is busy with the young, this mallard is taking a rest in the midst of a preening session. - R. B.

ROBERT BATEMAN
Merganser Duckling

This sculpture was made as a reference for my painting, Merganser Family in Hiding. I had no photographic reference, and museum specimens of baby birds leave something to be desired. Typical museum specimens are smooth and elongated so that they can fit into storage trays. Baby waterfowl are far from shapeless; they are very sculptural in form. Feathers do not disguise the various pieces of their anatomy. The coating of fuzz, if anything, exaggerates the concave and convex forms. The living bird is a little work of art of its own. Mergansers are, of course, a member of the duck family. The main difference between mergansers and other ducks is the elongated bill with a slightly crooked tip and a row of teeth along the sides. This makes it an admirable fish feeder. Virtually every summer since I was eight years old, I have been visiting a particular lake in north country. The main breeding duck in the area is the American merganser. Each summer we look forward to the little parade of mothers and young making their way around the shoreline. They are feeding on baby fish, which have conveniently timed their hatching to inadvertently aid in the merganser's growth. At the first sign of danger, the mother makes a low noise, and the whole family goes into hiding. As a boy, I sometimes did something I would now forbid my children to do. I would follow them in a canoe to get a better look. On one occasion I caught one of the nestlings and did a quick little painting of it. I then found the family and put it among the rocks where the others were hiding, so I am sure the story had a happy ending.  It gives me a sense of satisfaction to know that this little painting done at the age of 15 was my best source of reference for the sculpture and painting I did over 30 years later. - R. B.

ROBERT BATEMAN
Merganser Family in Hiding

I have always liked swamps. They are lush and sheltered and rich with a great variety of life. They also have an air of mystery. The merganser family lives in the shelter of this swamp, hiding in nooks and crannies if danger increases. - R. B.

ROBERT BATEMAN
Meru Dusk - Lesser Kudus

In this painting I wanted to show the ominous presence of a mature, lone wolf, I wanted to create a mood of seriousness and respect - not threat. From the artistic point of view, I was intrigued by the challenge of portraying a black animal on an almost black background. It is something like playing a whole piano composition in half an octave of the bass section. - R. B.

In this painting I wanted to show the ominous presence of a mature, lone wolf, I wanted to create a mood of seriousness and respect - not threat. From the artistic point of view, I was intrigued by the challenge of portraying a black animal on an almost black background. It is something like playing a whole piano composition in half an octave of the bass section. - R. B.

ROBERT BATEMAN
Mill Pond - Canada Geese

ROBERT BATEMAN
Mill Pond - Canada Geese
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ROBERT BATEMAN
Mischief on the Prowl - Raccoon

The raccoon pictured here has found a crayfish and has taken it to a beaver dam for his snack. He is where he belongs - in the wild. - R. B.

ROBERT BATEMAN
Misty Coast - Gulls

These glaucous-winged gulls are standing amid bladderwrack seaweed, barnacles, limpets and other mollusks.  Although these are foods for other creatures, they are not part of the gulls' diet. The gulls are waiting for stranded fish, crabs or shrimp to appear in this ever-changing cafeteria of the sea. - R. B.

ROBERT BATEMAN
Misty Lake - Osprey

The osprey is a bird of lakes or coastal bays. I have seen them in Australia; Baja, California and Florida, but the typical place in my mind would be one of the myriad lakes of the forested north country. Of course, the key ingredient of where they live would be fish. Indeed they are sometimes called "fish hawks." - R. B.

ROBERT BATEMAN
Misty Morning - Loons

The canoe slides among the rushes in the early morning mist. I try to dip the paddle without making a sound. The atmosphere is glowing golden green, adding depth and distance to objects even near at hand. Suddenly, the stately pair appears. - R. B.

ROBERT BATEMAN
Momentum - Siberian Tiger

ROBERT BATEMAN
Moose at Water's Edge

Although the moose appears to be ungainly he is the tallest North American hoofed mammal and, in many ways, is very stately. This moose has emerged onto a sandy spit in the early morning glow. Fall is approaching, and this bull is perhaps looking for a mate or a rival. - R. B.

ROBERT BATEMAN
Moose in the Moonlight

ROBERT BATEMAN
Morning Calm

ROBERT BATEMAN
Morning Cove - Common Loon

On these beautiful, still summer mornings, there was always that lazy moment before the shock of the little splash when we would take in the morning sun and the summer scents and look into the water. In those days, there were no motorboats, and, with such tranquility, there was always the chance of seeing a loon in close to shore looking for easy minnows. - R. B.

ROBERT BATEMAN
Morning Dew - Roe Deer

No deer have adapted better to human settlement than the roe deer. They are relatively small, 29 to 30 inches at the shoulder, and can easily hide in a farm field, hedgerow or wood lot. This is a "big" buck in a typical nervous pose as he comes out of the forest to graze the meadow in the early morning dew. - R. B.

ROBERT BATEMAN
Morning on the Flats - Bison

In certain parts of the Western Mountains, geological disturbances have produced geyser and hot spring activity. The misty atmospheric effects caused by the warm, moist air in these areas appeal to me. - R. B.

ROBERT BATEMAN
Morning on the River - Trumpeter Swans

Trumpeter swans are among the largest and strongest of the waterfowl. They once had a large range in the wild areas of North America, but their numbers became so reduced that they became endangered. The comeback of the trumpeters is one of the good news stories of conservation efforts. - R. B.

ROBERT BATEMAN
Mossy Branches - Spotted Owl

I see the spotted owl as a kind of hapless symbol of what we have to do to preserve a huge and very important ecosystem - the North American temperate rain forests. We go around to international congresses, telling others to stop cutting down their rain forests, when we are, in fact, much closer to cutting down the last remaining old-growth rain forests on our own continent.  The spotted owl needs large tract of unbroken forest to survive. When these tracts are sliced up by logging operations, others predators come in. The spotted owl cannot stand the competition and becomes extinct in that area. - R. B.

ROBERT BATEMAN
Mossy Branches - Spotted Owl
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I see the spotted owl as a kind of hapless symbol of what we have to do to preserve a huge and very important ecosystem - the North American temperate rain forests. We go around to international congresses, telling others to stop cutting down their rain forests, when we are, in fact, much closer to cutting down the last remaining old-growth rain forests on our own continent.  The spotted owl needs large tract of unbroken forest to survive. When these tracts are sliced up by logging operations, others predators come in. The spotted owl cannot stand the competition and becomes extinct in that area. - R. B.

ROBERT BATEMAN
Mountain Meadow - Dall Sheep

ROBERT BATEMAN
Mowed Meadow

Mice are a much-maligned group of creatures. They are seldom seen and little understood. They are, in fact, deeply resented because of their tendency to help themselves to our products. They were here long before we were, and they don't need us, but they do take advantage of us when they get the chance. - R. B.

ROBERT BATEMAN
Mule Deer in Aspen

I wanted to convey this landscape using large, empty white spaces that darken toward the top, while the dark trees are modulating in the opposite direction. Technically, I found this a particular challenge because I am so used to working with opaque paint, and I can paint light or pale lines over already painted dark areas. But working here with pencil, I had to do all my shading in between the light twigs. - R. B.

ROBERT BATEMAN
Mule Deer in Snow

ROBERT BATEMAN
Mule Deer in Winter

In the West, the mule deer is found in a great variety of habitats. It may be found in the hot low deserts or the high, cool mountains. For this painting, I have chosen typical winter habitat on the lower slopes of the mountains. - R. B.

ROBERT BATEMAN
Mule Deer Resting

ROBERT BATEMAN
Murrelets

ROBERT BATEMAN
Muskoka Lake - Common Loons

The common loon is the symbol of the North Country, a land of evergreen forests and pure lakes. I have tried to render the water almost as a tapestry, with gentle cross weaving of color and tones created by the physics of reflections and ripples. - R. B.