Winter Bison is Robert Bateman’s Christmas gift to readers of the Times Colonist.
This is what he says about this 2009 work:
“Yellowstone Park is perhaps even more spectacular in the winter than it is in the summer.
“This is the setting I have chosen for a mature bull looking over the brink of a cliff, unaware how close his species came to being wiped out.
“It says something positive about our ability to remedy sins of the past that the bison has been pulled back from the brink of extinction.”
The goal of the Bateman Gallery, at 470 Belleville Street in Victoria, is to illuminate the wonders of the natural world, share environmental knowledge, and deepen the human-nature connection.
It is home to a permanent collection of Bateman’s work and a rotation of temporary exhibits by other ecological artists that uphold Bateman’s legacy.
The Bateman Foundation offers local and national education programs, including a nature sketch program that connects youth and adults to their local ecosystems through a pencil and a sketchbook.
In 2021, the foundation introduced a wellness program to support the mental well-being of the community by providing free therapeutic art programming.
The Bateman Gallery is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesday through Thursday next week. Bateman prints, including the ones featured in the Times Colonist, are available for purchase.
Admission is by donation for the remainder of 2021.
