Marc Joseph Arbez
“We need to reestablish a strong connection with the natural world if we are to preserve it for future generations. Portraying wildlife and its rich diversity of habitat through visual art is one way to increase our understanding and appreciation for the living world.”
Marc was born and raised in a French-speaking community on the Canadian Prairies. Despite living in an urban setting, he had access to a number of wild areas nearby. Marc's family lived next to a small field of native grasses where meadowlark calls would signal the arrival of spring. The spring melt would transform the field into a temporary haven for snails and frogs. A small adjacent river was lined with elm and oak trees and wound its way through a maze of parks and residential areas. Marc explored these habitats as a young boy and began sketching the birds and mammals that thrived in them. These experiences forged a strong bond with nature in him.
For the past 30 years, Marc and his wife have owned a cabin in the Canadian Shield where they have spent countless hours canoeing and kayaking. They have also extensively hiked in the Canadian Rockies. These outdoor adventures inspire him to represent the spirit of the natural world through his art.
Support for Conservation:
Marc's artwork has been used to raise funds for a number of environmental and wildlife organizations in Canada and the U.S.
Of note are the Manitoba Naturalist Society, the Canadian Lakes Loon Survey (Bird Studies Canada), the Loon Preservation Committee (New Hampshire), Birders’ Exchange (American Birding Association) and Ducks Unlimited Canada.
S P E C I A L
A C H I E V E M E N T S
In 2001, Marc's painting “Surface Break-Brook Trout” won the Manitoba Fisheries Enhancement Initiative Fund Competition. The painting image was printed on a conservation fishing license stamp. The license fees were used to support wetland habitat and fish stock projects in Manitoba
In 2024, Marc's painting “Spring Perch” was selected by a jury for inclusion in the 2024 Artists for Conservation Exhibit and conscequentially featured in that year’s AFC book.
In 2025, Marc's painting “Northern Hawk-Owl in Aspen Stand” was selected by a jury for inclusion in the 2025 Artists for Conservation Exhibit and conscequentially featured in the AFC book. From that exhibit, it was also to be one of approximately 50 artworks chosen to be sent to the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum for AFC’s Exhibit Tour.