Bateman has always been artistic, but he also has a mind for science. "As a kid I didn't know whether I wanted to be a scientist or an artist. I played with Legos, which in some ways makes a lot of sense since you're assembling these things out of these basic elements. At one time I wanted to be a doctor, then a geologist, then a doctor again."

But art remained a huge influence on Bateman, and he produced quite a bit of it when he was young.

"If I asked for a toy, my parents told me to wait for my birthday or to earn extra money for it. But if I wanted art supplies, that was one thing they'd always give me."

His father was artistic; his mother, musical with literary interests. "I was always being dragged to art museums or galleries, both in town and when we would go on trips."

One special time remains etched in Bateman's memory: "I remember being taken to Phillips Gallery," he said. "I must have been about 5 or 6 because I was in kindergarten. We went into the back of the gallery because my dad knew Denis Phillips. I remember seeing what Denis was working on and then going home and trying to duplicate it. And it's sort of a fun little circle of life thing being taken there as a child and now actually showing my own work there. If my dad were still around, he would be so proud of that."

Bateman has an extensive exhibition catalogue, having shown his unique pieces in many parts of the United States and in London, England. He has won myriad awards for his work and lectured, served on panels and conducted workshops. Today, he teaches art at the University of Utah.

To find out more about Bateman's art, visit www.ebateman.net.

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