Bluebirds Study by Glen Loates, framed piece: sketchbook studies of eastern bluebirds in pencil and watercolour

Bluebirds Study by Glen Loates, detail of the painting

Bluebirds Study by Glen Loates, the complete painting

Bluebirds Study by Glen Loates, close view of the frame moulding

Bluebirds Study by Glen Loates, framed piece in a black frame with a white mat

Bluebirds Study by Glen Loates, framed piece in a black frame with a black mat

Bluebirds Study by Glen Loates, framed piece in a white frame with a white mat

Bluebirds Study by Glen Loates, framed piece in a white frame with a black mat

Bluebirds Study

Name: Bluebirds Study — Framed Piece
Brand: Glen Loates
SKU: artworkid[35080083]-productid[printframed]-imagewidth[10.5]-imageheight[14]-paperid[archivalmattepaper]-frameid[CRQ13]-mat1id[PM918]-mat1width[2]-finishid[0.125acrylic]
Price: 180.0 USD
Availability: InStock

$180 - $207

Preview this work in a styled room, or on a photo of your own wall. Works on your phone, tablet or computer.

Complimentary shipping, carefully packed and delivered to your door.

Our promise to you: if a piece doesn't feel right in your home, let us know and we will make it right.

About the Work

This is Glen's working process made visible — a field study page from 1986 showing the Eastern Bluebird from multiple angles, with graphite sketches alongside partially developed watercolour passages and colour-test swatches. The male's head is rendered in full colour detail at top; below, in pencil, studies of posture, perch position, and nest-box entry. Raw colour washes — orange, yellow, green — mark the edges of the page where Glen was testing his palette.

For collectors who appreciate an artist's process as much as their finished work, this study page is a rare window into how Glen built his paintings from the ground up. His meticulous preparation is precisely what made his finished watercolours feel inevitable.

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 giclée of Glen's original, matted and framed by professional framers, so it arrives complete and ready for the wall.
Frame and mat choices are chosen to suit the work and a wide range of interiors.

Materials

Museum-quality giclée on heavyweight, acid-free paper.
Archival, fade-resistant pigment inks.
Quality frame moulding.
Protective acrylic in place of glass, lighter and safer in transit.
Backing, wire and hanging hardware installed by the framers.

Care

Hang out of direct, prolonged sunlight.
Avoid humidity and sharp temperature swings.
Dust the frame and acrylic with a soft, dry cloth; for more, use a microfibre cloth lightly dampened with an acrylic-safe cleaner, never sprayed directly.
Lift by the sides of the frame.

Delivery & Returns

Matted, framed and inspected to order, then on its way within 3 to 4 business days.
Packed with corner and surface protection.
As a larger parcel it can take longer to arrive than works on paper, depending on your location.
Complimentary shipping with tracking.
If your piece arrives damaged, email [email protected] with a photo and we'll send a complimentary replacement.
Not right for any reason? Contact us within 30 days of your order date.

Our returns promise →

Format

Giclée on Paper

Framed Piece

Ready to HangArrives finished, with hanging hardware attached.
Complimentary ShippingCarefully packed and delivered to your door at no charge.
Our Promise to YouIf a piece doesn’t feel right in your home, let us know and we will make it right.
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 in the studio using animal skins as reference while painting owels

Framed and Ready to Hang

Each giclée is printed on heavyweight, acid-free paper with archival pigment inks, then framed by professional framers. Protective acrylic takes the place of glass for safer travel, and the backing, wire and hanging hardware are installed before it reaches you.

Frame Options

Choose a black or white wood frame. Each piece is framed by an expert framer with an archival 2-inch mat, protected under acrylic rather than glass, and arrives ready to hang with the wire attached and nails included.

Couple hanging framed picture from The Glen Loates Store

Shared by our collectors

In Collectors' Homes

Glen's work has hung in homes for decades. Here are a few pieces where they live now, photographed by the collectors themselves.

“…brings to mind fond childhood memories walking with my father.”
Linda F.
Cottontail Run
“We love the print very much. A few years ago, we had a beautiful fox arrive at our home.”
Betsy B.
Red Fox and Kits
“I have so many fond memories of growing up with the wildlife prints that truly inspired imagination and made our house a home.”
Michael G.
A family collection, begun in the late 1970s
“I choose prints from here because of the incredible detail and he is a Canadian artist.”
Barb R.
Stalking Lynx
“It's hanging beside a lake that has Loons. Nice setting.”
Christopher W.
Loon
“This piece really brings out their personality and looks great at my cottage.”
Anne G.
Cottage Visitor
“I love your father's work and will be back again for more.”
Anne G.
Young Cheetah with Fireflies
“Looks great in the room, and compliments the colours and theme I am going for.”
Lynda H.
The Sentinel

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Bluebirds Study

See It on Your Wall

About the Artist

Framed and Ready to Hang

Frame Options

Frame Options

In Collectors' Homes