Paintings of some of Bermuda’s leading figures and natural scenes have been featured in a biography of Canadian artist Bernard Poulin.

Mr Poulin has painted members of royalty and prominent politicians from around the world and spent many years visiting the island to paint.

His book, Bernard Aimé Poulin — A Portrait, written by Benoit Cazabon, was launched this week at the Jean-Claude Bergeron Gallery in Ottawa. Mr Poulin is hoping to host a separate book launch in Bermuda in the near future.

The artist’s Bermuda commissions include Dame Jennifer Smith, a former premier, Stanley Lowe, a former Speaker of the House of Assembly, and Dame Lois Browne-Evans, a politician, lawyer and the country’s first female attorney-general.

He has also painted William Boyle, Sutherland Madeiros, and Jay Bluck, former mayor of Hamilton.

Outside of Bermuda his subjects have included Prince William, son of the Prince of Wales, and Jean Chrétien, a former Canadian prime minister.

Mr Poulin told The Royal Gazette: “Bermuda encouraged my creativity for 46 of my 50 years as a painter. It would have been horrible to not give Bermuda and Bermudians a place in my book. My last recall is that there are at least 36 images of Bermuda related paintings included in the book.

“I have been painting around the world so there are paintings of Bermuda, Canada, Italy, France, Jerusalem — all of these due to the art shows I have been commissioned to produce over the years.

“The book is published by one of the most renowned art book publishers in Canada, Marcel Broquet. He has published art books for most of the best known artists in Canada.”

The book speaks to the childhood, adolescence and professional life of the artist and includes a large portfolio of his works. It includes passages about how he first came to Bermuda and fell in love with the island.

Mr Poulin was exhausted from teaching children with learning difficulties for many years and concerned friends treated him to a holiday in Bermuda in 1967.

Mr Cazabon writes: “He didn’t know it then, but the vacation was a sign: Bermuda became one of the painter’s favourite places.”

• The book is available at bernardpoulin.com and amazon.com