Official Gallery of Canadian Wildlife Artist Glen Loates R.C.A.

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Glen Loates painting the Wood thrush with bird skins from the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) in 1979

One-of-a-kind works by Glen Loates. View the Originals

Glen Loates outside by mushrooms kneeling with sketchbook and smiling

GLEN LOATES BIOGRAPHY

DISCOVER

Glen Loates in the studio using animal skins as reference while painting owels

Glen Loates in the studio using animal skins as reference.

WORK METHODS
glen loates and president reagan

Glen Loates in the Oval Office presenting his Bald Eagle painting to Ronald Reagan.

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Scarlet Tanagers by Glen Loates, original artwork: two scarlet tanagers among fresh maple leaves
Scarlet Tanagers, an original work by Glen Loates, shown framed at true scale on a gallery wall as a visitor pauses to study it
Scarlet Tanagers by Glen Loates, detail of the original artwork
Scarlet Tanagers by Glen Loates, detail of the original artwork
Scarlet Tanagers by Glen Loates, the original in its frame

Scarlet Tanagers

Acquiring an Original

Each original is one of a kind and is offered directly by the Loates family. Originals are not sold through online checkout. We arrange every acquisition personally, so we can confirm the work’s history, answer your questions, and make arrangements for payment and delivery.

To enquire, please use the form below.

In Distinguished Collections

Glen Loates R.C.A. is the first Canadian artist represented at the White House. In 1982, Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau arranged for him to present his painting The Bald Eagle to President Ronald Reagan in the Oval Office, on behalf of Canada. His originals have also been given to His Royal Highness Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and to Prime Minister Trudeau. Dignitaries and notable collectors hold his work. Every original in this collection comes directly from the Loates family.

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About the Work

Two scarlet tanagers move through a spray of maple. One clings to a twig above, wings half open, looking straight out of the picture. The other drops away below in flight, its feathers a patchwork of scarlet, orange and gold. The leaves turn from cool blue-green to sunlit yellow, and the rest of the sheet is left white, so the birds carry the whole composition.

Glen has watched these birds since boyhood. Growing up in Toronto, he explored the wooded grounds of Mount Pleasant Cemetery near his family's home, where cardinals, Baltimore orioles and scarlet tanagers were among the first birds he studied first-hand.

GLEN LOATES, RCA

Colour pencil on paper
Signed lower right
Image 19.5” x 26”; overall 26.5” x 33.5”

About the Artist
Glen Loates outside by mushrooms kneeling with sketchbook and smiling

Glen Loates R.C.A. has spent his life paying close attention to the natural world. Largely self-taught, he began his professional career at eleven, and in 1974 he was elected to full membership in the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts.

He works from field study and museum study skins rather than photographs, making as many as forty-five pencil sketches of an animal before he paints it, and he begins every painting from the eye.

In 1982, President Ronald Reagan accepted Glen's life-size Bald Eagle in the Oval Office, a gift Glen painted and conceived himself, making him the first Canadian artist represented at the White House.

Listen to Glen's biography · 9 min

The full written biography is on the Biography page.

Read the full biography →
Format & Materials

The format

  • A one-of-a-kind original by Glen Loates R.C.A., signed by the artist.
  • The medium, size and signature details for each work are listed on its page.
  • Every original comes directly from the Loates family.

Materials

  • As listed on each work's page: watercolour, colour pencil or graphite, on paper or linen.
Care
  • Display away from direct, prolonged sunlight to help preserve the colour.
  • Keep the work in a stable environment, away from extreme humidity or temperature changes.
  • If you reframe, use archival, acid-free materials and UV-protective glazing.
  • Never apply cleaners, water or sprays to the glazing or the artwork.
Delivery & Returns
  • Every original is acquired personally, not through online checkout. We confirm the work's history, answer your questions, and arrange payment and delivery with you directly.
  • Each work is packed by hand with rigid protection for its journey.
  • Personal GuidanceAsk us anything about a work before you decide. A member of the Loates family replies personally.
  • From the Loates FamilyThe official gallery of Glen Loates R.C.A., run by his family.

About the Artist

Glen Loates R.C.A. has spent his life paying a particular kind of attention to the natural world. He never attended art school.

His professional career began at eleven, when he designed the Canadian Cancer Society’s daffodil logo, used by the organization for several decades. In 1968 he won the Royal Philatelic Award for Canada’s first full-colour postage stamp, the Gray Jay. In 1974 he was elected to full membership in the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts, the first wildlife painter invited to join.

In December 1982, he presented his life-size watercolour of a Bald Eagle personally to President Ronald Reagan in the Oval Office, a gift from the people of Canada to the people of the United States. Reagan called it “a breathtaking representation of America’s symbol.” He is the first Canadian artist to be represented at the White House. His originals have also been presented to His Royal Highness Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and to Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau.

His work has been exhibited at the Royal Ontario Museum, the British Museum, the Alexander Koenig Museum in Bonn, and the McMichael Canadian Collection. Three major volumes document his career: The Art of Glen Loates (1977), Birds of North America (1979), and A Brush with Life (1984).

He is a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts and the Explorers Club.

Discover the full story
Glen Loates outside by mushrooms kneeling with sketchbook and smiling
Glen Loates in the studio using animal skins as reference while painting owels
glen loates and president reagan

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