 Anthony
(Tony) J. Batten
C.S.P.W.C.: S.F.C.A.: S.C.A.
A visual artist who has exhibited his drawings and paintings on
four continents. Tony is possibly best known for his work which
focuses on the man-made elements of our environment. His mastery
of shading and texture within the interplay of light and dark makes
his work immediately identifiable.
These paintings with which the viewing public can easily connect
are often of familiar streetscapes and beloved landmarks but have
a unique sense of colour and life. His streetscapes of his adopted
home-town, Toronto, have been widely exhibited and are to be found
in many civic and corporate collections.
A past president of the CSPWC once introduced Tony as "one
of the few modern interpreters of the 18th and 19th century tradition
of the travelling artist” and his frequent exhibitions of
work themed to his many travels would support this description.
In recent years he has had the opportunity to take part in several
major painting trips and the landscape as a subject has increasingly
become the focus of his work.
Born: Eynsham Hall - Oxfordshire, England 1940
Education
Christ's Hospital School - Sussex, U.K.
McMasterville School, Quebec
Museum School, Montreal (with Arthur Lismer)
Bcl. B.A. - L'Ecole des Beaux Arts, Montreal
B.A. - Sir George Williams (Now Concordia University)
B.Ed - University of Toronto
Graduate studies (Art History) University of Toronto
While going to university, Tony made a number of career moves but
it was while working for Canadian Industries Ltd (C-I-L) that he
received corporate support for his interest in the history of the
city of Montreal and his love of drawing its monuments. He was commissioned
to produce a map of Old Montreal and its historic sites. This was
in the days when only a handful of people actually lived in the
decayed area and only a few homes had been restored. The map was
widely reproduced in both official languages, and was tied in with
C-I-L's restoration of the DelVecchio House and their participation
in the World Fair - Expo '67. C-I-L also used his drawings in a
number of convention presentations and corporate promotions. Due
to his work in Old Montreal, in 1966 he was asked to sit on the
board of the Montreal Historical Society.
In the mid 1960’s Tony became a member of J.A.M.M. (The Junior
Assoc. of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts - Le Musée des
Beaux – Arts de Montréal), a group that ran a number
of exhibitions and social activities from the Museum’s Stable
Gallery. This began his life-long involvement with arts centered
volunteer activities.
He moved to Ontario in 1968 to study at the University of Toronto
and after graduation decided to try teaching for a few years. Those
few years turned into twenty-eight!
He initially taught at Stephen Leacock C.I., where he was a member
of the art and history departments, For three years in the early
1980’s he was also involved with the C.B.C’s Institute
of Scenography where he taught art history to aspiring set designers.
In his spare time he worked on a number of professional theatrical
events, primarily for Marlene Smith Productions, designing and painting
sets and properties. Among the shows he worked on in those early
days of locally developed theatre were “Tonight at 8:30”,
“PIAF”, and “Dames at Sea”.
In 1985 he was appointed Head of Arts at Sir Oliver Mowat Collegiate.
A regular demonstrating artist in historical studies at the University
of Toronto, he was asked to join the Canadian School at Cambridge
University (U.K.) where for two years he was the resident art instructor
and lecturer. With a small select staff, this program became one
of the highlights of Tony’s academic life. He left teaching
in 1998 to pursue a career as a full time painter.
While he has regularly exhibited his work and been involved with
the administration of a series of cultural organizations, it was
his 1980 election to the Canadian Society of Painters in Water Colour
(C.S.P.W.C.) that kick started a period of concentrated involvement
in arts volunteerism. Coordinating a succession of highly profitable
exhibitions that linked the C.S.P.W.C. with the National Ballet
of Canada, he went on to run the Society’s annual juried exhibitions
for a number of years. Asked to take charge of he 1985 Diamond Jubilee
celebrations, he managed to have their juried Jubilee Collection
accepted in the fabled Royal Collections. The subsequent exhibition
of those sixty Canadian watercolours in the Queen’s Gallery
at Windsor Castle was a major coup for the country and the C.S.P.W.C.
Elected President of the Society for the period 1993-1995, he want
on to organize Phase II of the Royal Collection project when an
additional fifteen works were placed at Windsor Castle to mark the
C.S.P.W.C.’s seventy fifth anniversary. Tony was asked to
be the guest speaker at Canada House London when HRH The Prince
of Wales was on hand to accept the paintings on behalf of HM The
Queen.
Still very involved with the C.S.P.W.C. and several other organizations,
he encourages others to be involved in volunteerism. He sees it
as a vital mentoring force and a considerable aid in getting to
know other artists and other art communities. In 2002 he was the
recipient of the Julius Griffith Award given by the C.S.P.W.C. to
an individual who has made a sustained and unique contribution to
the arts and to the society. In 2007 he was elevated to Life Member.
He continues to be called upon to lecture on the development of
western art particularly the art of watercolour painting. His talks
are well illustrated, relevant and frequently amusing.
Exhibitions
Has been in numerous juried group and solo exhibitions since his
initial show in 1967. Significant group shows include:
1981 - Provincetown Art Assoc. (USA)
1982, 1983 - Ontario Society of Artists
1986 - Ontario House (London, U.K.)
1988 - Queen's Gallery (Windsor Castle, U.K.)
1999 - Museo Nacional de la Acuarela (Coyoacan, Mexico)
2000 - A Brush with History (Mississauga)
2004 - Documents of Greece (Aird Gallery)
2006 - Art Gallery of Ontario (contemporary architecture show)
2005 - 2006 - Unlimited Potential (Touring Exhibition)
2006 - 2007 Arctic Quest Exhibitions
2007 - McMichael Gallery (Kleinburg). Polar Artists
|
Solo
Exhibitions