Two Ruby-throated Hummingbirds at a hibiscus — one hovering before an open bloom below, the other perched on a stem above watching. The hibiscus flower is painted with the botanical completeness Glen brought to all his plant subjects: the soft salmon-pink of the petals, the columnar stamen, the hibiscus leaves with their insect damage intact. The hummingbirds are painted at different scales — the hovering bird farther away, smaller; the perched bird close and precise. This 1986 watercolour is one of Glen's most luminous and warmly coloured bird-and-botanical compositions.
Glen observed hummingbirds at the garden near his Ontario studio across summers, and the precision of the hovering bird's wing position shows the depth of that observation. He is a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts whose bird-and-botanical compositions are among the most beloved in his catalogue.
Glen Loates is a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts whose work has been collected internationally for over five decades. Each bag is printed to gallery standards and built to carry the conversation wherever you go.
