Artist Biography
Michael Dumas was born and raised in the small town of Whitney, Ontario,located at the eastern borders of Algonquin Park. Exposure and familiarity with the wilderness and its creatures are reflected in his art, from childhood to present day. He worked for a time as a ranger in Algonquin and has continued his connection to the Park by accompanying research teams on projects such as the winter bear den census. Michael’s subject matter also includes rural themes and people; the common denominator within all of his art being an intimate connection based on personal experience. Much of Michael’s work expresses the simple harmony of the
everyday, often paying tribute to humble subject matter that is frequently ignored or gone unnoticed. These he elevates by skilful painting and beautifully balanced compositions bathed in luminescent light.
Michael’s work has been exhibited both nationally and internationally,
including such notable institutions as the National Museum of Canada, The
McMichael Collection – Canada, The Leigh-Yawkey Woodson Art Museum, the Slamagundi Club NYC, Brookgreen Gardens, and the National Museum of Wildlife Art – USA, Suntory Museum of Art, the Imaoka Collection – Japan, Quingdao Lan Wan Gallery of Art – China, The Museum of Art Inspired by Nature – England, and the European Museum of Modern Art (MEAM) – Spain to name but a few. He is listed in many biographical reference volumes, including Who’s Who in America, Who’s Who in Canada, Who’s Who in the World, and the International Register of Profiles. His art has also been featured on Canadian postage stamps and commemorative coins produced by the Royal Canadian Mint. Numerous awards include 2 ARC International Salon Dual Category Awards, Artists for Conservation Best of Show and 7 Medals of Excellence, the Marquis Who’s Who Lifetime Achievement Award, National Oil and Acrylic Painters Society Award of Excellence, Society of Animal Artists President’s Artistic Achievement Award, Peterborough Pathway of Fame, Kawartha Order
of the Arts, and the Algonquin Art Centre’s Legacy Award. As a member of the Artists for Conservation, he contributed seven components to the Silent Skies composite mural depicting 678 endangered birds of the world. In 2022 his work was presented in a six-page article in Art Tour International Magazine’s Earth Day edition, and he participated in a live
presentation of his work on the Global Earth Day Broadcast via ATIM
International Network. More recently he was the subject of a two-part interview on Kathryn Lloyd’s ‘The Artist Secrets’, and contributed to two major conservation fund raisers, Sketch for Survival, hosted by The Explorer’s Club in NYC, and ‘On the Brink’, the latter being displayed at The Dundas St. Gallery, Edinburgh Scotland, and the OXO Gallery, on London’s Southbank prior to the Real World Conservation auction. The Artists for Conservation has chosen Michael as the 2023 recipient of the Simon Combes Conservation Award, with the presentation being held at the AFC 2023 International Exhibition of Nature Art in Vancouver in September. In 2024 Michael was also Awarded the AFC Seerey-Lester Award of Excellence for his painting ‘After the Storm’, depicting a Canada Lynx in an environment affected by climate change.
Conservation efforts the world over have benefitted by Michael's dedication and support. At the time of his receiving the Carling-OKeefe Professional Conservationist Award in 1986, it was estimated that he was instrumental in raising in excess of five million dollars for conservation projects. In his capacity of conservation supporter, he has worked along side such notable figures as H.R.H. Prince Philip, H.R.H. Prince Bernhardt, and Prince and Princess Hitachi of the Japanese Imperial Family. Michael was also involved with the fund raising campaign to support the efforts of Dr. Richard Leakey in Kenya, in association with Mr. and Mrs. James Stuart, and other film celebrities.
A significant proportion of Michael's art reflects his concern for the welfare of the natural world. A five year project initiated in 1978, and supported by the Canadian government's Canadian Explorations Program depicted Canadian Endangered Species. This collection formed the core of a 1981 exhibit on the same theme at the prestigious McMichael Canadian Collection in Kleinberg, Ontario. In 1987, a series on endangered birds of prey was created in conjunction with the Wildlife '87 Conservation Fund. Michael has also produced paintings to promote and raise funds for many diverse conservation groups, including The World Wildlife Fund, Ducks Unlimited, The Nature Conservancy of Canada, Canadian Parks Partnership, The Ontario Federation of anglers and Hunters, and The International Council for the Preservation of Birds. A series depicting rare, endangered, and extinct birds of the world, and another dedicated to the Short-tailed albatross were completed under the auspices of Suntory Corporation and the Wild Bird Society of Japan.
Michael's drawings and paintings have been exhibited in numerous galleries and museums on an international scale including, The National Museum of Canada, The McMichael Canadian Collection, The Royal Botanical Gardens - Hamilton, The Royal Ontario Museum Toronto, The Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site - Buffalo, N. Y, The Suntory Museum of art - Tokyo & Osaka, Japan, The Yamanakako-Takamura Museum of Arts - Japan. Mitsukoshi Gallery- Tokyo, Matsuya Gallery - Tokyo, Sogo Gallery - Osaka, Nature In Art, the International Museum of Wildlife Art - Gloucester, England.
Numerous books, magazines, films, Canadian postage stamps, and commemorative coins have featured Michael's art and he is also a published writer. He is listed in the Who's Who in Canada directory (University of Toronto Press) since 1994.
