This year’s Christmas art from Robert Bateman is Winter Companion – Yellow Lab, from 1985.
Here is what Bateman has to say about it:
“For an outdoorsman, his dog is the ideal companion. That is not to say the other members of the family cannot be as good or even better, but they are often busy at the moment when you want to take a hike.
“But, your dog is never too busy. It even takes precedence over eating.
“I usually am fiddling around in preparation — putting on boots, looking for binoculars, finding my gloves, and so on.
“My canine buddy doesn’t need preparation. He is instantly ready and has been to the door and back to check on me 25 times while I am still looking for my other glove.
“He races out to lead the way with great confidence, even if he doesn’t know which way we are going.
“Once he finds which trail I’m taking, he leads the way.
“That is why I have shown this view of him in the painting — the normal view the outdoorsman has of his companion.”
Bateman’s work is a Christmas tradition in the Times Colonist. We have featured him at this time every year since 2013.
