Clarence Tillenius facts for kids

Clarence Tillenius (August 31, 1913 – January 22, 2012) was a famous Canadian artist. He was also an environmentalist who worked hard to protect wildlife and wild places.

About Clarence Tillenius

His Early Life

Clarence Tillenius was born on August 31, 1913, in Sandridge, Manitoba. His family had roots in Sweden and Norway. He grew up with six brothers and sisters on a farm in the Manitoba Interlake region. This area is about 100 kilometers north of Winnipeg.

His parents noticed his artistic talent very early. When he was just four years old, he drew a picture of the family dog! From that day until he passed away, Tillenius sketched, painted, or drew every single day. He went to Clematis School in 1919 and stayed in touch with his teacher for many years. He also attended high school in Teulon, Manitoba. However, he could not go to university because of the Great Depression. Instead, Tillenius taught himself by reading many books. He had a huge library with over 5,000 books!

His Amazing Career

Before becoming a full-time artist, Tillenius worked many different jobs. He worked on farms, in mines, and in lumber camps. He also worked on railroad and construction crews in Manitoba and Ontario. These jobs helped him learn a lot about the outdoors. He even built his own cabin in Ontario.

Tillenius sold his first artwork for a magazine cover in 1934. It was for the Country Guide.

In 1936, he had a terrible accident while working on a railway. He fell under a train car and lost his right arm. While recovering in the hospital, a nurse and doctor encouraged him. They told him to learn how to paint with his left hand. This motivated Tillenius to keep going and become an artist again. He was also taught by a great artist and friend, Alexander J. Musgrove. Musgrove had started the first drawing school in Manitoba.

In 1940, the Country Guide published the first magazine cover Tillenius drew with his left hand. He continued to work as an illustrator for the magazine for 30 years. He also created drawings and covers for The Beaver magazine for over 40 years. His art appeared in many other magazines and newspapers too.

Tillenius often met with other artists in the late 1930s and early 1940s. They would practice drawing together. Some of his friends included artist and sculptor Leo Mol and cartoonist Peter Kuch.

From 1943 to 1945, Tillenius visited and became friends with the famous painter Carl Rungius. He spent time with Rungius in his studio in Banff, Alberta and in New York City. He also met Alan Brooks, a painter known for his bird art.

In the 1950s, Tillenius was hired to create 18 large dioramas for museums across Canada. A diorama is a 3D scene that shows a moment in time, often with lifelike figures and a painted background. His dioramas showed buffalo, other wildlife, and wild landscapes. You can see his work in places like the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa and the Manitoba Museum in Winnipeg. His 51-foot diorama at the Manitoba Museum shows a Métis buffalo hunt. It was ready when Queen Elizabeth II opened the museum!

In 1954, Tillenius traveled all over Canada. He created 200 large oil paintings of Canada's wildlife and wild places. This collection was called "Monarchs of the Canadian Wilds." These paintings are now at the Pavilion Gallery Museum in Assiniboine Park in Winnipeg. Hundreds of thousands of copies of these paintings have been shared around the world. Tillenius hoped that people who saw his art would want to protect Canada's beautiful wilderness. He wanted to create art that would last even if the wild places disappeared. His paintings show many of Canada's large animals, like grizzlies, polar bears, wolves, moose, and caribou.

Between 1957 and 1959, Tillenius went on several trips into the Canadian Rockies. He traveled by horse with his friend Andy Russell, who was a rancher and environmentalist. They painted and drew grizzly bears, wolves, and eagles.

In 1962, Tillenius went to Europe to study art. He saw the works of famous artists like Anders Zorn and Bruno Liljefors in Sweden. He also studied the Impressionists and visited Scotland and London.

In 1964, Tillenius joined Ralph Hedlin on a trip to Southampton Island. They traveled with Inuit people by dog team and lived in igloos. They watched polar bear hunts to study them for a diorama.

Tillenius continued to study how museums create dioramas. In 1967, he visited the Buffalo Park in Wainwright, Alberta. He talked to old buffalo herders to learn about their memories.

In 1968, Tillenius and Ralph Hedlin went back to Southampton Island. They studied polar bears and Inuit life for another polar bear diorama. Tillenius also finished his pronghorn and buffalo dioramas for the opening of the Manitoba Museum.

For ten years, until 1978, Tillenius taught wildlife drawing classes. He also taught many other artists, including sculptor Peter Sawatzky.

In 2005, Tillenius painted two large cement polar bears. Each bear was about 8 feet tall and weighed 10,000 pounds! This project helped raise money for Cancer Care Manitoba. One of his bears, "Pondering Grizzly," now stands in front of Winnipeg City Hall.

Tillenius's paintings are now in art collections all over North America, Japan, and Sweden.

His Passing

Clarence Tillenius passed away in Winnipeg on January 22, 2012. He was 98 years old. After his death, his family shared a special message from him:

I believe that there is in the universe an underlying rhythm, a stream of life common to all ages; that the work of an artist who could tap into that rhythm would be timeless, it would be understood in any age, since man himself is bound by, and responds to, the same rhythm as the animals.

When that rhythm calls me to a universe other than this one; I ask each of you, who wish to remember me, to look at my paintings or my dioramas. As long as my work is appreciated by the generations that follow, my work will have tapped into that rhythm and will be timeless; even though I have now crossed that great Divide.

Awards and Honors

Clarence Tillenius was a very respected artist and environmentalist. Here are some of his achievements:

• He was a founding member of the Society of Animal Artists in New York.
• He was a founding member of the Society for Wildlife Art of the Nations in England.
• He was a past-president and life member of the Manitoba Naturalists Society (now Nature Manitoba).

He received many special awards:

• The Order of Canada in 2005. This is one of Canada's highest honors.
• The Order of Manitoba in 2003.
• An honorary Doctorate of Laws from the University of Winnipeg in 1970.
• He was elected a fellow to the Explorers Club in New York in 1967.
• He was elected a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society in London.
• He received the Professional Wildlife Conservation Award from the Government of Manitoba.

In 2007, Tillenius's dioramas were named National Treasures by the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa.

The Pavilion Gallery Museum in Winnipeg opened a special gallery in 1998 to honor Tillenius and his art. His work is still on display there all year round.

Protecting Nature

Tillenius was part of many groups that worked to save wild areas in Manitoba. He strongly believed that when humans build too much, it harms wildlife and makes animals disappear. This is why he painted so much wildlife and wilderness. He wanted his art to inspire people to protect nature.

Books by or with his Art

Clarence Tillenius wrote some books and provided illustrations for many others:

• Sketch Pad, out-of-doors (1956)
• Fur bearing animals (1959)
• The wild dogs; a story of wolves in Manitoba (1969) - text by Allan Murray, illustrations by Tillenius
• Buffalo (1992) - includes his paintings and writings
• Days of the Buffalo: paintings (1998)
• Deer Hunting Hints

Where His Art Appeared

Tillenius's art was published in many magazines across North America and beyond, including:

• Country Guide
• The Beaver
• Nature Magazine
• The Montreal Standard
• Weekend Picture Magazine
• Virginia Wildlife
• Star Weekly
• Sports Afield
• Fur Trade Journal
• Saturday Night
• Rod and Gun
• Game and Fish Magazine
• Pelli and Pellicce
• Esperanto Magazine

He also illustrated these books:

• Little Giant by Olive Knox
• North of "55" by C.P. Wilson
• Kirby's Gander by J.P. Gillese
• Furbearers of Canada by Hudson's Bay Co.
• Brief History of the Hudson's Bay Co.
• What's Ahead for Prairie Agriculture by H.S. Fry
• The First Fifty Years by R.D. Colquette
• Tomorrow is for You by Vera Kelsey
• Orphan of the North by Will Henry
• Black Falcon by Olive Knox
• Encyclopedia Canadiana by The Grolier Society
• Game Birds and Animals of Manitoba by Government of Manitoba