Born in
Saint John, New Brunswick, She married Al Bates in 1948. She is a printmaker, noted for her
embossing technique, and in the 1960s, became well known for her
Plexiglas cube sculptures which incorporated print processes. Her work is often inspired by Occidental themes or religions. Bates was a member of the group in Victoria known as the Victoria Limners Society, a group of visual artists based in Victoria, B.C. (1971-2008). Bates played a role in the art community locally: she was the founder of what became XChanges Gallery and Studios in Victoria, a non-profit artists' cooperative operating a gallery and studios for practicing artists, among other initiatives. Bates had many exhibitions, both nationally and internationally. In 2019, her a 50-year survey exhibition titled
Inscape Golden Timeless Threads - Points of Starlight Silence was shown at the Victoria Arts Council as a special project in honour of the Council's 50th anniversary year. From 1964 on, she was a professor at the
University of Victoria and taught there for more than 30 years. the
National Gallery of Canada, the
Museum of Modern Art in New York, and the
Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, among others. She received the
Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal, She was elected to the
Royal Canadian Academy of Arts in 2008. The Canadian Federation of University Women Victoria esteemed her by establishing, in 1985, the Pat Martin Bates Scholarship in Visual Arts. ==Publications==