Dowling Walsh Gallery

William R. Beebe

"William R. Beebe was born in Bethesda, Maryland, in 1956. He is a marine artist who has been painting the coast for more than 20 years. He has many wonderful childhood memories of times spent on the Chesapeake Bay sailing, canoeing and crabbing but it was after his first trip to Maine in the mid-1980s that he discovered his love of the New England coastline. It was 1990 when he made the life changing decision to pursue his art full-time and move to Maine, where he and his wife lived on the coast for 12 years. This is where he honed his skills in painting schooners, lobsterboats, lighthouses, islands, and coastal villages.

In 2005 Bill made the commitment to dedicate himself to capturing on canvas the historical wooden schooners of the 19th and 20th centuries. He is passionate about portraying these beautiful schooners in a yacht-like fashion while racing or under full sail. His paintings highlight the ship's sleek lines, their speed and racing ability.

Bill is a realist who paints exclusively in oil and is meticulous about detail and accuracy. He adapts his style to capture the particular mood and scene he is painting. Bill's paintings have great clarity and detail while still maintaining a soft, painterly feel. His paintings have been described as being "museum quality" as there is a depth and richness to them that demonstrates a high level of expertise and mastery.

Bill is a graduate of the University of Maryland in Fine Art. He started painting in college where his teacher in portrait painting greatly encouraged him to develop his artistic talent. Once out of school, he entered an art contest in a small Pennsylvania town where he won first place. For a number of years Bill enjoyed painting as a hobby until he decided to move to Maine.

The first marine artist Bill took note of was John Stobart. He was struck by his attention to detail, lighting, palette and painterly quality. He also admired the work of Thomas Hoyne and Donald Demers the more he began focusing on historic wooden schooners. More recently studying the Impressionist works of Alfred Sisley, Frank Benson, James Whistler, William Merritt Chase, Daniel Garber and John Singer Sargent, among others, has inspired him.

In 2009 Bill completed a large, commissioned painting of a scene in France. His exhaustive research motivated him to take some time to paint European landscapes. His style has evolved, becoming more impressionistic with expressive brush strokes, use of texture and a softer palette. He is particularly focused on Italy and France.

Bill's paintings are in major private and corporate collections in the United States and abroad. His painting, On Monhegan Island, has been featured in several publications including American Art Review October 2000 issue and a book entitled The Art of Monhegan Island, published in 2004.

From 1994 to 2002 Bill was the resident artist for MBNA America. He painted their properties around the world and these paintings were reproduced for their quarterly stockholders report covers. Although known for his marine paintings, during the MBNA years he was very fortunate to have a wide variety of commissioned projects. Among these projects was the opportunity to paint a portrait of the late Katharine Aldridge Tucker, a former LIFE Magazine cover girl. The painting was unveiled in 1995 at the dedication of the Tucker Room in the Camden Opera House in Camden, Maine, where the painting resides to this day. Bill was chosen to be the artist to record the newly constructed Centennial Wing of the Camden Public Library in 1996. The painting was presented at the dedication and 100th anniversary ceremony where Barbara Bush was the keynote speaker. This was a great honor for Bill. Other exciting and varied commissioned projects include: painting the Winterthur Point-to-Point horse races in Delaware; numerous antique cars; several sports related scenes including the Cleveland Browns' stadium and an action scene of a game between the Cleveland Browns and the Baltimore Ravens; Camden Yards stadium; the Wilmington Opera House; a 72 foot Trumpy yacht; a golf course scene; and many other challenging subjects. All of these commissions contributed to Bill becoming the very versatile artist that he is today.

Bill currently resides with his wife in Williamsburg, Virginia where he continues his passion for painting."

Biography from www.williamrbeebe.com