Wesley Bates was born in the Yukon in 1952. After leaving Mount Alison University in 1977, he moved to Ontario to pursue a career as a painter and printmaker.
In 1981, he took up wood engraving and freelance illustration and established West Meadow Press.
Wesley moved his studio, gallery and letterpress print shop to a storefront in a small rural town in Ontario more than a decade ago. The idea for the move was to focus. Didn’t work.

The range of his work includes painting, printmaking, glass engraving and paper mache. Wesley is known for his illustration work in the mediums of wood engraving and scraper board, both in black & white and colour. His images have a classic touch and are used widely in publishing, packaging and advertising.