Alan Bateman is forging a reputation as one of Canada’s finest realists. He comes from a rich artistic legacy, where painting was a natural pastime. He has inherited the artistic gifts of both his father, internationally known artist Robert Bateman and his mother, Suzanne Lewis, also a superb watercolourist, Alan Bateman was born in Nigeria in 1965, grew up in Burlington, Ontario and moved to Dartmouth, Nova Scotia at the age of eight with his mother, sister and brother. Summers were spent with his father in Ontario's Haliburton Highlands. He received formal training at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design in the mid 1980's. Influenced by the work of Andrew and Jamie Wyeth, Bateman's work also invokes prominent East Coast realist painters; Alex Coville, Tom Forestall and Christopher and Mary Pratt.
Not surprisingly, for Bateman, life and work are intertwined in a natural process of discovery. He paints by observing familiar objects until they become part of him, and intuitive feeling that embodies his understanding of some place, some part of himself. ”To paint, I have to live in a place for some time, so I can absorb my surroundings – I’m not comfortable driving around the countryside looking for subjects. Nor am I sure how the evolution works – it just happens while I’m doing things in my day-to-day life. Something worth painting will suddenly become apparent to me – shadows of elm trees against the house, light on a wall, the colours on a hardwood floor. Time and place are as important to me as the central object.” He now lives in a 200 year-old farmhouse near Canning, Nova Scotia with his wife, artist Holly Carr and their two children, finding inspiration in the surrounding rural terrain of the Annapolis Valley, in addition to his summers in Haliburton.
Alan Bateman is a two-time recipient of The Elizabeth Greenshields Award. He’s been very active with thirteen solo exhibitions and thirteen group exhibitions to his credit. He has exhibited extensively throughout Canada, including shows in Toronto, Halifax, Hamilton, Edmonton and Victoria. In the USA he has exhibited in Ohio, Oregon and Minnesota.
Not surprisingly, for Bateman, life and work are intertwined in a natural process of discovery. He paints by observing familiar objects until they become part of him, and intuitive feeling that embodies his understanding of some place, some part of himself. ”To paint, I have to live in a place for some time, so I can absorb my surroundings – I’m not comfortable driving around the countryside looking for subjects. Nor am I sure how the evolution works – it just happens while I’m doing things in my day-to-day life. Something worth painting will suddenly become apparent to me – shadows of elm trees against the house, light on a wall, the colours on a hardwood floor. Time and place are as important to me as the central object.” He now lives in a 200 year-old farmhouse near Canning, Nova Scotia with his wife, artist Holly Carr and their two children, finding inspiration in the surrounding rural terrain of the Annapolis Valley, in addition to his summers in Haliburton.
Alan Bateman is a two-time recipient of The Elizabeth Greenshields Award. He’s been very active with thirteen solo exhibitions and thirteen group exhibitions to his credit. He has exhibited extensively throughout Canada, including shows in Toronto, Halifax, Hamilton, Edmonton and Victoria. In the USA he has exhibited in Ohio, Oregon and Minnesota.
Gallery Inquiries [email protected]
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Selected Exhibitions
2018 Secord Gallery, Halifax Nova Scotia
2014 Masters Gallery, Calgary, Alberta.
2013 Secord Gallery, Halifax Nova Scotia.
2012 Germanton Gallery, Germanton North Carolina.
2011 Terence Robert Gallery, Ottawa Ontario.
2010 Group of 12, Group Show, Belleville Ontario.
2010 Trinity Galleries, Duo Show with Holly Carr, Saint John New Brunswick.
2009 Beckett Fine Art Ltd., Toronto, Solo Show
2008 Argyle Gallery, Halifax Nova Scotia, Group Show
2007 West End Gallery, Edmonton Alberta, Solo Show
2006 Masters Gallery, Calgary Alberta, Alan, John and Robert Bateman
2006 Beckett Gallery, Oakville Ontario, Group Show
2006 West End Gallery, Edmonton Alberta, Group Show
2005 Thunderbird Gallery, Saltspring Isl. British Columbia, Group Show
2004 West End Gallery, Edmonton Alberta, Solo Show
2004 Five Crows Silver, Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History, Halifax Nova Scotia. Group show
2003 Beckett Fine Art, Toronto, Ontario. Solo Show
2002 West End Gallery, Edmonton, Alberta. Solo Show
2001 Beckett Fine Art, Toronto, Ontario. Solo Show
2000 West End Gallery, Edmonton, Alberta. Solo Show
1999 Zwicker’s Gallery, Halifax, Nova Scotia. Solo Show
1998 West End Gallery, Edmonton, Alberta. Solo Show
1997 Burlington Art Center, Ontario. Auction
1997 McNaught Gallery, Hamilton Ontario. Solo Show
1996 Burlington Art Center, Ontario. Auction
1996 West End Gallery , Edmonton ,Alt Solo Show
1995 Burlington Art Center , Ontario Auction
1994 Gallery One , Mentor Ohio Group Show
1994 Stevenson’s Gallery , Oregon, USA Group Show
1994 Burlington Art Center Auction
1993 Gallery One, Mentor Ohio Group Show
1993 White Oaks Gallery MN USA Group Show
1993 Burlington Art Center Ontario Auction
1992 Beckett Gallery , Hamilton, Ontario Solo Show
1992 Gallery One, Mentor Ohio Group Show
1992 White Oaks Gallery, MN USA Group Show
1992 Burlington Art Center Ontario Auction
1991 Burlington Art Center , Ontario Auction
1991 Gallery One, Mentor Ohio Group Show
1991 White Oaks Gallery, MN USA Group Show
1990 Beckett Gallery , Hamilton, Ontario Solo Show
1990 Burlington Art Center, Ontario Auction
1989 “Windborn” Saltspring Isl. British Columbia. Auction,
1988 Beckett Gallery Hamilton, Ontario Christmas Group Show
1988 Beckett Gallery Hamilton, Ontario Views of Canada Group Show
1987 Dartmouth Heritage Museum Solo Show
2018 Secord Gallery, Halifax Nova Scotia
2014 Masters Gallery, Calgary, Alberta.
2013 Secord Gallery, Halifax Nova Scotia.
2012 Germanton Gallery, Germanton North Carolina.
2011 Terence Robert Gallery, Ottawa Ontario.
2010 Group of 12, Group Show, Belleville Ontario.
2010 Trinity Galleries, Duo Show with Holly Carr, Saint John New Brunswick.
2009 Beckett Fine Art Ltd., Toronto, Solo Show
2008 Argyle Gallery, Halifax Nova Scotia, Group Show
2007 West End Gallery, Edmonton Alberta, Solo Show
2006 Masters Gallery, Calgary Alberta, Alan, John and Robert Bateman
2006 Beckett Gallery, Oakville Ontario, Group Show
2006 West End Gallery, Edmonton Alberta, Group Show
2005 Thunderbird Gallery, Saltspring Isl. British Columbia, Group Show
2004 West End Gallery, Edmonton Alberta, Solo Show
2004 Five Crows Silver, Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History, Halifax Nova Scotia. Group show
2003 Beckett Fine Art, Toronto, Ontario. Solo Show
2002 West End Gallery, Edmonton, Alberta. Solo Show
2001 Beckett Fine Art, Toronto, Ontario. Solo Show
2000 West End Gallery, Edmonton, Alberta. Solo Show
1999 Zwicker’s Gallery, Halifax, Nova Scotia. Solo Show
1998 West End Gallery, Edmonton, Alberta. Solo Show
1997 Burlington Art Center, Ontario. Auction
1997 McNaught Gallery, Hamilton Ontario. Solo Show
1996 Burlington Art Center, Ontario. Auction
1996 West End Gallery , Edmonton ,Alt Solo Show
1995 Burlington Art Center , Ontario Auction
1994 Gallery One , Mentor Ohio Group Show
1994 Stevenson’s Gallery , Oregon, USA Group Show
1994 Burlington Art Center Auction
1993 Gallery One, Mentor Ohio Group Show
1993 White Oaks Gallery MN USA Group Show
1993 Burlington Art Center Ontario Auction
1992 Beckett Gallery , Hamilton, Ontario Solo Show
1992 Gallery One, Mentor Ohio Group Show
1992 White Oaks Gallery, MN USA Group Show
1992 Burlington Art Center Ontario Auction
1991 Burlington Art Center , Ontario Auction
1991 Gallery One, Mentor Ohio Group Show
1991 White Oaks Gallery, MN USA Group Show
1990 Beckett Gallery , Hamilton, Ontario Solo Show
1990 Burlington Art Center, Ontario Auction
1989 “Windborn” Saltspring Isl. British Columbia. Auction,
1988 Beckett Gallery Hamilton, Ontario Christmas Group Show
1988 Beckett Gallery Hamilton, Ontario Views of Canada Group Show
1987 Dartmouth Heritage Museum Solo Show