Michael Dumas

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.