|
|
|
The Artist Born in 1945 – Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Bernard, the son of a Toronto Commercial artist, was one of four gifted brothers and the twin brother of the internationally famous wildlife painter Glen Loates. Brought up on what were the outskirts of Willowdale, which was still rural in the 1950’s, Bernie and his brother Glen drew close to nature and both developed a passion for the outdoors and being a student of fine art. Their first major influence was by the famous Toronto painter Frederick Brigden. Mr. Brigden painted the pastoral scenes of the Don Valley with its cows and other domestic animals. The two Loates boys were taught by the aging Mr. Brigden in capturing animal anatomy on canvas and it directed their course ahead. Both Bernard and Glen would sketch with prodigious energy on the banks of the Don River and at the City’s Riverdale Zoo. Bernard pursued the art of printmaking and advanced to become the most important printer in Canada. In the mid 60’s Bernie founded Nature Impressions, a wildly successful business that printed Glen’s art in limited edition and open edition form. Bernie’s business acumen is legendary in the Loates family. “He’s got a definite Midas touch”, say Jim Loates, a third brother. In ’74, Bernie’s own publishing company, Cerebrus Publishing masterminded the production of The Art of Glen Loates in both trade and limited editions. The trade edition, co-published with Prentice-Hall had a second printing of 35,000, making it the best-selling collection of any living Canadian artist’s work. As remarkable as the success of the
trade edition was, it was the limited edition of 300 that truly broke
records. With an initial subscriber price of $600 in ’75, the resale value
had rocketed to $4,890 before the book even appeared in September of that
year, and in January of ’76 a Texan sold a copy of $5,200. Printed on
100-per-cent rag paper and hand-bound in steer hide, each volume came in a
hand-rubbed cherry wood case along with an original Loates lithograph of a
North American bison. When two top publishing houses and film separating
houses turned down the project claiming the quality the Loates brothers
demanded was impossible to attain, Bernie spent four years solving the
technical difficulties on his own. He hired a European colour specialist
and bought his own press. Bernard devised a new method of getting the ink
to sit on the high quality, highly porous paper. The book’s publication is
nothing short of a landmark in Canadian book publishing. “The Loates book
is the finest ever produced in Canada,” says Toronto antiquity dealer Jack
Joran. In the late 80’s and early 1990’s, Loates tackled his most challenging and creative project. The John James Audubon Master edition series of prints are among the finest made prints in the world and in 1993 Bernard was awarded for his unparalleled achievement with the prestigious Gutenberg Award of Excellence. About Audubon O Collection Details More questions call 727 421-1360 or E-mail Birdman@audubon-art.com |
