VL Studio Visit with William Beebe

Art has always been in my blood, but I took a circuitous route in becoming a full-time professional artist.   In my junior year of college I signed up for a portrait painting class hoping to improve my GPA.  Up until then my life had been all about sports.  I had always been a doodler though, drawing in pencil and seeing the world in black and white.  The thought of being an artist never crossed my mind until I discovered the world of oil painting.  My portrait-painting teacher that semester greatly encouraged me and the seed was planted!

After graduating from the University of Maryland with a Studio/Fine Art degree the pragmatic side of me took over.  I was 23 years old, newly married and living in the suburbs of Washington, DC.  I couldn’t find a job in art because I didn’t study graphic arts.  I found myself working as a bookkeeper and then back at the U. of MD for my second degree in Accounting.  Then I spent a year in tax accounting followed by several years as an accountant in private industry.  I never felt like it was my destiny.

In the meantime, my father died suddenly from cancer as my mother was fighting her own long battle with cancer.  My father was the one who had told me to do what makes me happy.  My mother was the one who took me to art galleries and saved my drawings.  They were giving me the gift of developing a life compass.  I was now at a crossroads and that inner compass was pointing me in a new direction. 

My wife, Jen, and I decided to take a much-needed vacation to Maine and it was there that I became inspired to paint!  I came home from that special trip and painted a schooner docked in Boothbay Harbor.  I started painting more, dreaming of living in Maine and painting as a vocation.  Before long we decided to take a leap of faith.

Now I find myself looking back on 24 years of being a full-time artist.  I appreciate every day of “going to work” and am extremely grateful to have been able to pursue my passion of painting for a living. 

The Maine paintings I produced early on ranged from lighthouses, to working waterman scenes, to the small coastal fishing villages and islands.  My work attracted the attention of Mr. Charles Cawley, an avid art collector and the CEO of MBNA, an international credit card company.  He started collecting my work and eventually hired me to become the resident artist for MBNA!

For nine wonderful years I had the honor of having my paintings featured on the cover of MBNA’s quarterly reports.  Along with paintings of their many office buildings around the world, they encouraged me to continue painting Maine scenes for their collection.

Over time I became more narrowly focused on capturing the beauty of the Maine Windjammer fleet.  Hundreds of schooners used to work the Maine waters, hauling lumber and limestone.  I was intrigued by how few of them are left and saddened by the thought that someday they will be gone.  Each ship has a long history, some dating over one hundred years!

Many hours of painting in the smallest of details were spent on each ship.  I wanted to pay tribute to each ship by recording an accurate interpretation of it on canvas to hopefully last for another hundred years.

My maritime paintings have been exhibited in numerous gallery and museum shows throughout the years including the Farnsworth Art Museum in Rockland, ME and at the Coos Art Museum in Coos Bay, OR, where I won a Merit award in the 12th Annual Maritime Art Exhibition.  Additionally my work has been a part of several Marine Masters Exhibitions in Mystic, CT and Thomaston, ME and the 26th Annual International Marine Art Exhibition at the Maritime Gallery at Mystic Seaport.


When we moved to Virginia in 2002, I was a little concerned that I might have trouble finding that same passion for painting that I found in Maine.

Then one day I heard that the state of Virginia had built a replica of an historic wooden pilot schooner named Schooner Virginia.  After doing a little research I found out that it was going to be docked in Portsmouth, VA.  When I walked up the dock and saw the Virginia for the first time I was taken aback.  The tall ship with its beautiful black shiny hull and gold engraved letters on the bow spelling VIRGINIA had grandeur to it. I took hundreds of detail pictures that day in Portsmouth.

I had found new inspiration and immediately started planning a series of paintings featuring the Schooner Virginia.

Every year there is a Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race that begins in Annapolis, MD at the Bay Bridge and continues on down the Bay.  I witnessed and photographed the Virginia and the Pride of Baltimore II in a nose-to-nose race under ideal sailing conditions.  It was a powerful moment for me.

During that race I also photographed the Pride of Baltimore II, the Lettie G. Howard out of New York, and other smaller schooners, which sail the waters of the Chesapeake.

My first painting of the Virginia was a large commissioned piece featuring the tall ship cutting through the dark water with speed and grace.  I was honored when approached by the folks at the Schooner Virginia to have reproduction giclee prints made from this painting to help with their annual fundraiser.  We worked closely with the Mariners’ Museum in Newport News, VA to produce these quality prints. 

Subsequently, I completed four more Schooner Virginia paintings in competitive races with sister ships to complete my series.

I’ve discovered that like art, a need to be near the water is in my blood.  Being able to combine the two callings as a maritime artist has turned out to be a dream come true!