TORONTO -- The uncanny ability to portray in lavish detail a creature of the wild in a single, characteristic pose has been the trademark of Canadian wildlife artist Martin Glen Loates for almost 20 years.
From the White House to the Smithsonian Institution and other museums worldwide, and in boardrooms and suburban homes, Loates' acclaimed paintings and prints are part of numerous public and private collections.
In the fourth published volume of his work, 'A Brush With Life' (Harry N. Abrams, $40), admirers of Loates will see evidence of his maturity as an artist in the 157 illustrations of his work since 1977.
Loates, 39, exhibits unmatched skill for three-dimensional detail that brings his paintings to life while he has learned to make greater use of light patterns and subdued background to highlight his subject.
In his striking paintings, one feels uneasy under the steady gaze of a hunting timber wolf; tenderness toward a nesting fawn and awed by the evident power of a silver-tipped grizzly and the grace of a white-tail deer. The luxurious fur of a lynx, the soft down of a great horned owl and the silence of the underwater world of the northern pike are nearly alive.
'I try to bring out the personality of everything I paint... the feeling about it,' Loates said. 'There's a lot of what I've witnessed in each painting and if I haven't seen it myself then I compose it the way I wish I'd seen it.
'I think I've matured enough as an artist to handle both subjects to the extent where the animal is predominant and there's enough background there where it is not distracting and actually adds to the environment.'
Loates said he was very pleased with the latest volume of his works because the reproductions retain the intimacy of the originals. 'Being an artist I'm excited about that, the quality of the printing is phenomenal.'
As a youngster inspired by the bird paintings of John James Audubon, Loates wandered the woodland of Toronto's Don River Valley sketching with paper and pencil.
He credits famed Canadian illustrator Fred Brigden as the single greatest influence on his career. Brigden, who first saw some of Loates' sketches when he spoke to a high school audience, encouraged the schoolboy and introduced him to watercolor.
'With Fred's guidance I began to understand the medium,' Loates said. 'I never had any formal art training at all. It was a matter of learning it myself.'
In the beginning, Loates used watercolors in traditional ways. But, as he strove for greater detail and tone, Loates began experimenting with watercolors and inks.
Today, he said, 'I don't use the watercolor technique in the conventional way at all. I've adapted it to my own particular style.'
Loates found also he could not find standard handmade paper large enough for his needs as his work graduated to larger, lifesized paintings, which he feels better convey the power and ferocity of big game mammals.
He now makes his own canvas from a treated cotton. 'I'm still experimenting with it.'
His first Canadian recognition came in 1965 when the weekend newspaper color supplement 'The Canadian' commissioned the first of three portfolios. In 1968, he won the Royal Philatelic Award for Canada's first full color postage stamp featuring a Gray Jay.
Loates has been the subject of several documentaries, one of which, 'Color it Living,' was broadcast in 20 nations and won numerous awards, including Anerica's 'Teddy.' Limited edition copies of Loates' first book, its 24-carat gold-edged pages bound in Brazilian steerhide, now command more than $6,000.
The attraction of his paintings is still their fine detail. Loates has spent as long as a year on a single painting, many of which command fees in six figures. He has spent months on field research, sketching plants, rocks and mountains, snowscapes, the sky at certain times of day and the effect of light and shadows in the forest. For his fish paintings, he went scuba diving in lakes and ponds to study the plants and filtered light.
'The most enjoyment I get is trying to create a moment in time and having the freedom to compose the way I want,' he says.
Loates researches the tone and coloring of fur or feathers through photographs and personal observation in the wild or at zoos and museums. He then sketches the subject, experimenting with poses until he finds the one that best demonstrates its character. 'I start with the eyes, and take great care to instill a sense of life.'
One of his most difficult subjects was a Bald Eagle, which Loates presented personally to President Reagan in 1982 to mark the 200th anniversary of the eagle's selection as the symbol of the United States.
Loates said he did not want the eagle screaming down out of the sky, which would have appeared too warlike, nor could he have it at rest inits aerie, which could have been interpreted as America being too passive. He portrayed the eagle landing on a tree branch, its talons and wings outstretched, giving the unmistaken impression of alertness and power.
The care taken in posing the eagle was to avoid the 'Catch-22' criticism about his work -- that it is either too cute or too gory -- that Loates finds difficult to understand. 'Most of the criticism I get just doesn't make sense.'
Children are among the greatest admirers of his work, Loates said, yet he finds some adult critics regard his paintings of young animals as 'too cute.'
'Young rabbits, raccoons and fawns are cute. How can you paint them any other way?'
Others have taken issue with Loates' paintings of predator and prey. But, he says: 'It's just another realm of natural history. I try to portray all the different ways these creatures live.'
Loates has just completed his most ambitious project and it was a move that will see him attempt more lifesize paintings. He was commissioned by the International Electrolux Corp. to paint its logo -- a Siberian tiger.
For six months, Loates researched the animal and toured northern British Columbia and Alaska to sketch the rugged wilderness terrain, which is similar to that in Siberia.
It took five months to complete the work -- a painting 7 feet by 5.5 feet -- that is as detailed throughout as any of Loates' other, smaller paintings.
'Many artists who work with a lot of detail shy away from getting into large sizes because you're trying to cover huge masses of area with very fine detail. I find it even more exciting and challenging for that very reason.'
The painting will be on display next spring when Toronto's Royal Ontario Museum features a 20-year retrospective of his artwork.
'I've taken more from nature than I can ever give in return. I owe so much, having painted all these beautiful things,' Loates reflects. 'If I can assist in the preservation of natural areas by lending my name to conservation projects, or by using my art to draw attention to environmental issues, I feel I'm repaying an enormous debt of gratitude.'
