Ed Reep at Art Center, late 1930s Ed Reep at Art Center, late 1930s.
Ed Reep painting in Italy WWII, 1944. Ed Reep painting in Italy WWII, 1944.
Ed Reep receiving a Bronze Star Medal from General Truscott, World War II, Italy, 1944. Ed Reep receiving a Bronze Star Medal from General Truscott, World War II, Italy, 1944.
Edward Reep poses with the tools of his trade. Edward Reep poses with the tools of his trade.
Jurying and awarding prices for Los Angeles City Schools Competition - 1952. Jurying and awarding prices for Los Angeles City Schools Competition - 1952.
Ed Reep in 1956 at Pan American Airways for LIFE Magazine. Ed Reep in 1956 at Pan American Airways for LIFE Magazine.
Ed Reep on location for LIFE Magazine, 1956 Ed Reep on location for LIFE Magazine, 1956.
Painting in home studio in Studio City, CA 1958. Painting in home studio in Studio City, CA 1958.
Ed in his Studio City, CA studio in the 1960s. Ed in his Studio City, CA studio in the 1960s.
Ed Reep painting in his downtown studio, Greenville, N.C., 1970. Ed Reep painting in his downtown studio, Greenville, N.C., 1970.
Ed Reep - 1980s. Ed Reep - 1980s.
Ed Reep and Watson Cross, San Marino, CA, 1990. Ed Reep and Watson Cross, San Marino, CA, 1990.
Ed in his studio in Bakersfield, CA with wife Pat after receiving Lifetime Achievement Award from Watercolor USA Honor Society, 1997.  He is the only person so honored. Ed in his studio in Bakersfield, CA with wife Pat after receiving Lifetime Achievement Award from Watercolor USA Honor Society, 1997. He is the only person so honored.

Edward Arnold Reep

1918 - 2013

Personal
  • Born 10 May 1918, Brooklyn, N.Y.
  • Resided in Southern California 1921-1970
  • Greenville, NC 1970-1985
  • Bakersfield, CA 1985-2013
  • Married Karen Patricia Stevens 8 December 1942
  • Children Susan Kay, Cristine Elyse, Janine J., Mitchell Jules
  • Volunteered as private, US Infantry, 11 July 1941
  • Honorable Discharge, Captain, C.E. 14 February 1946
  • Two battlefield promotions; Bronze Star Medal
  • Official WWII War Artist overseas correspondent Africa and Italy
Education
  • Huntington Park High School, graduated 1936
  • Art Center College of Design, Los Angeles, CA 1936-1941 incl. (Certificate- five years – no degrees conferred at the time)
Teaching
  • 1947-50 The Art Center College of Design, painting and drawing
  • 1950-51 Bisttram School of Fine Arts, painting and drawing
  • 1950-51 Summers. Coronado School of Fine Arts, painting
  • 1950-66 Chouinard Art Institute, painting and drawing
  • 1957-66 Chouinard Art Institute, Chairman, painting department
  • 1950-70 California State University at Northridge, painting honors program for gifted high school students (summers only)
  • 1966-69 California Institute of the Arts, Chairman, Foundation Department
  • 1970 Southern Illinois University, visiting artist
  • 1970-85 East Carolina University, professor and artist-in-residence; acting department chair 1978. East Carolina University, Retired 1985 as Professor Emeritus
Professional
  • 1933 Owens-Illinois Glass Company, graphic artist
  • 1937 Columbia Broadcasting Company, graphic artist
  • 1930s Breeden Tools, catalog designer
  • 1942 Soldier’s Club, Monterey CA. Designed and executed two 8-foot square and one 8x24 ft. mural 1943 Psychological Warfare Branch U.S. Army, North Africa, graphic artist
  • 1943-45 War artist-correspondent/photographer, U.S. Army, North Africa and Italy
  • 1945 Designed and supervised production of nine-volume History of the Fifth Army
  • 1945-46 Guggenheim Fellowship for creative painting
  • 1946 Raymond Loewy, renderings for Matson Lines
  • 1947 Selznick International Pictures, sketch artist and illustrator
  • 1948 20th Century Fox, set designer
  • 1950s Batten, Barton, Durstine & Osborne Inc., designer
  • 1953 Brentwood Pools, swimming pool designer
  • 1953 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Film Studio, scenic artist
  • 1953 Henry Dreyfuss Inc., color styling and rendering for Columbine III, President Eisenhower’s plane
  • 1953 City of Los Angeles, Art Coordinator, Seven City Parks Exhibition
  • 1956 LIFE Magazine, world-wide assignment painting impressions of international airports, 10 full- color pages reproduced in magazine
  • 1957 LIFE Magazine, court artist, Confidential trial
  • 1957-58 National Watercolor Society President; Member of board for four years
  • 1958 LIFE Magazine, court artist, Lana Turner-Cheryl Crane murder trial
  • 1968 Victor Gruen Associates, color styling and renderings for Cabrillo Marina
  • 1968-74 Van Nostrand Reinhold Publishing Company, consultant editor
  • 1969 Motorcross Speedway, design and architecture
  • 1970 U.S. Army, special commission to West Germany to paint impressions of 10th anniversary of Berlin Wall
  • 1970 Gateco Corporation, Irvine Industrial Park CA, design and execute 20’x40’ exterior mural
  • 1975 Yale University Press, book review for Josef Albers’ The Interaction of Color
  • 1986-93 Bakersfield Museum of Art, Board of Directors

  • Throughout above years executed painting commissions for Ford Times and Continental Magazines. Several of the Ford Times watercolors now reside in the Smithsonian Museum of American Art.
Publications
  • Reep, Edward. The Content of Watercolor. New York. Van Nostrand Reinhold Company. 1969. Hardcover.
  • Reep, Edward. The Content of Watercolor. Revised Edition. New York. Van Nostrand Reinhold Company. 1983. Paperback.
  • Reep, Edward. A Combat Artist in World War Two. Kentucky. The University Press of Kentucky. 1987. Hardcover.
Bibliography (Selected)
  • Anderson, Susan M. and Henning, Robert Jr. (curators). Regionalism: The California View. Watercolors 1929-1945. Santa Barbara Museum of Art. University of Washington Press. 1988, p.80
  • Chenoweth, Col. H. Avery, USMCR (Ret.), Art of War: Eyewitness U.S. Combat Art from the Revolution through the Twentieth Century. New York. Michael Friedman, Inc. 2003, pp. 11, 26, 137-141, 148, 360.
  • Dustin, Nancy and Moure, Wall. California Art: 450 Years of Painting and Other Media. Los Angeles. Dustin. 1998. Pp. 292, 293, 549.
  • Goldsmith, Lawrence G. Watercolor Bold & Free. New York. Watson-Guptill. 1980, pp. 22, 29, 46.
  • Henkes, Robert. Themes in American Painting: A Reference Work to Common Styles and Genres. North Carolina. McFarland & Company. 1993, pp. 191-193.
  • Henkes, Robert. World War II in American Art. North Carolina. McFarland & Company, Inc. 2001, pp. 50- 51, 63-64, 70-73, 82-83, 109, 111-113, 116-117, 121-123, 130, 132, 135, 141-144, 146, C-7.
  • Jones, James. WWII. New York. Ballantine Books. 1975, p. 126.
  • Kent, Norman (edited). Seascapes and Landscapes in Watercolor. New York. Watson-Guptill. 1956, pp. 115-120.
  • Lanker, Brian and Newnham, Nicole. They Drew Fire: Combat Artists of World War II. New York. TV Books LLC. 2000, pp. 8-19, 179.
  • Last, Jay T. and McClelland, Gordon T. The California Style: California Watercolor Artists 1925-1955. Beverly Hills. Hillcrest. 1985, pp. 164-165.
  • Last, Jay T. and McClelland, Gordon T. California Watercolors 1850-1970: An Illustrated History and Biography. Beverly Hills. Hillcrest. 2002. Pp. 50, 54, 55, 64, 68, 71, 79, 147, 184, 185, 203.
  • Livengood, Roy. Thunder in the Apennines: The Story of the 361st Infantry in Italy. U.S. 361st Infantry Association. 1981.
  • Livesay, Nancy and Perine, Robert (curators). The California Romantics: Harbingers of Watercolorism. California. Artra, Inc. 1986, pp. 20, 23, 50, 88, 89, 90, 92.
  • Lovoos, Janice and Mugnaini, Joseph. DRAWING: A Search for Form. New York. Reinhold Publishing Company. 1965, p. 137.
  • Mugnaini, Joseph. Expressive Drawing: A Schematic Approach. Massachusetts. Davis, Inc. 1988, pp. 53, 66, 170.
  • Mugnaini, Joseph. Oil Painting: Techniques and Materials. New York. Van Nostrand Reinhold. 1969, pp. 112-114.
  • Nichols, Tom and Schlemm, Betty Lou (selected). The Best of Watercolor. Massachusetts. Rockport. 1995, p. 20.
  • Piersol, Edna. Living by Your Brush Alone. Ohio. North Light Publishers. 1983. Pp. 104-107.
  • Pitz, Henry C. How to Use the Figure in Painting and Illustration. New York. Watson-Guptill. 1965, p. 6.
  • Porter, Albert W. Expressive Watercolor Techniques. Massachusetts. Davis, Inc. 1982, pp. 67, 78.
  • Porter, Albert W. The Art of Sketching. Massachusetts. Davis, Inc. 1977, pp. 42, 126-127.
  • Schaad, Bentley. The Realm of Contemporary Still Life Painting. New York. Reinhold. 1962, pp. 25, 67, 70.
  • Schink, Christopher. Color and Light for the Watercolor Painter: How to get the Effects You Want Every Time. New York. Watson-Guptill. 1995, pp. 137, 143.
  • Schneider, Frederick (designer). Creative Inspirations: A Collection of Drawing and Painting Ideas for Artists. Massachusetts. Rockport, Inc. 1997, p. 13.
  • Sullivan, Gen. Gordon R. (Editor), Portrait of an Army. Washington D.C. U.S. Government Printing Office. 1991. Pp. 11, 173.
  • Sullivan, Gen. Gordon R. (Editor). Soldiers Serving the Nation. Washington D.C. U.S. Government Printing Office. 1995, Cover, pp. 68, 73, 92, 94, 96, 187.
  • Truscott, Lt. Gen. L.K., Forward. 19 Days from the Apennines to the Alps. Italy. Pizzi and Pizio. 1945.
  • Zellers, Larry. In Enemy Hands: A Prisoner in North Korea. Kentucky. The University Press of Kentucky. 1991, Cover.
  • Film
    • The Content of Watercolor, dir. Robert Rasch, featuring Edward Reep, 1976. Film.
    • They Drew Fire, dir. Brian Lanker. PBS. 2000. DVD.
    Periodicals (Selected)
  • “Added Attraction.” Newsweek. 16 October 1944. 82. Print.
  • “Artists At War.” M The Civilized Man. March 1985. 84. Print.
  • “Footnotes.” American Artist. September 1954. 8. Print.
  • “LIFE’s Art Competition for Men in the Armed Forces.” LIFE. 6 July 1942. 30-36. Print.
  • Livengood, Roy. “A Combat Artist in World War Two.” The Powder River Journal. Dec. 1987. Pp. 31-35. Print.
  • Livengood, Roy. “Thunder in the Apennines Update.” The Powder River Journal. Dec. 1982. P. 16. Print.
  • Marsh, Melissa Amateis. “Armed with a Paintbrush.” America in WWII. August 2012. 14-23. Print.
  • Miller, Arthur. “Art of our City.” Los Angeles. December 1962. 57. Print.
  • The New East: The Family Magazine of North Carolina. Summer 1976. Cover, p. 2. Print.
  • “New Gateways to the Wide World, Painted and Drawn for LIFE by Edward Reep.” LIFE. 18 June 1956. 86-95. Print.
  • Nutting, Myron. “Art.” Script. June 1947. 44. Print.
  • Pitz, Henry C. “Pen Drawings by Painters.” American Artist. March 1947. 26-29. Print.
  • Powder River Journal. June 1984. p. 29. Print.
  • Rebel. East Carolina University. March 1975. Cover. Print.
  • “Reviews.” Art Forum. 1964. 16-17. Print.
  • Reep, Edward. “The Past Reflected in the Present.” Watercolor: An American Artist Publication. Summer 2001. pp. 106-113. Print.
  • Sonora. “About Art.” Milady of California. August 1947. 59. Print.
  • “U.S. Around the World.” Fortune. July 1944. 121-131. Print.
  • “U.S. Government War Art.” LIFE. 6 April 1942. 58-60. Print.
  • “The Watercolor Series.” American Artist. April 1952. 50-51. Print.
  • Weigel, John. “What I Look for in a Painting for the Ford Times.” Famous Artists Magazine. Spring 1963. 10-11. Print.
  • Wheeler, J.M. “In the California Style.” Panache Magazine. Nov. 1989. 30-31. Print.
  • Honors/Awards
  • 1946-47 Guggenheim Fellowship for Creative Painting
  • 1974 Nominated American Academy of Arts and Letters Art Awards
  • 1975 Grant National Endowment Fund, North Carolina Foundation of the Arts
  • 1980 Invited Phi Kappa Phi Honor Symposium Award for 4,000 word paper “Quality in Higher Education” to National Art Symposium University of Illinois, Urbana.
  • 1997 Distinguished Lifetime Achievement Award Gold Medal, Watercolor USA Honor Society (to date only such award conferred)
  • Lifetime Achievement Award National Watercolor Society, painting added to Permanent Collection
  • Who’s Who in America (41st Edition)
  • Who’s Who in the World (6th Edition)
  • Who’s Who in American Art
  • Who’s Who in the West
  • Who’s Who in the Southeast
  • Outstanding Educators of America
  • Dictionary of International Biography
  • Notable Americans
  • Contemporary Authors, The Book Tower
  • Personalities of the South, American Biographical Institute
  • Painting Awards (Selected)
  • 1941 Purchase Prize, WPA National Competition
  • 1942 OEM National Competition
  • 1942 Fourth Prize, LIFE Magazine National All-Service Competition
  • 1942 First Prize, Carmel Art Association Service Competition
  • 1946 First Prize, American Contemporary Gallery Competition
  • 1947 First Prize, (Lawson Award) San Diego Museum 32nd Annual
  • 1948 First Purchase Prize (lithography), California State Fair Art Exhibition
  • 1948 Honorable Mention (lithography), California State Fair Art Exhibition
  • 1949 Honorable Mention (oil), California State Fair Art Exhibition
  • 1949 Second Prize, Coronado International Art Exhibition
  • 1950 First Purchase Prize, Carlsbad-Oceanside Competition
  • 1951 First Purchase Prize (oil), 18th Annual International Flower Show Art Competition
  • 1951 First Purchase Prize (oil), Los Angeles County Museum
  • 1951 First Purchase Prize (watercolor), Los Angeles County Museum Annual
  • 1952 First Purchase Prize, Gardena 25th Annual
  • 1954 Honorable Mention, Oakland Museum Annual
  • 1955 Honorable Mention, Newport Annuals
  • 1955 Award, National Watercolor Society
  • 1955 Award, South Bay Art Association Invitational
  • 1955 First Purchase Award, Sierra Madre Invitational
  • 1957 Honorable Mention, Newport Annual
  • 1960 Prize, All-California Invitational
  • 1961 Honorable Mention, Frye Museum, Seattle
  • 1963 First Prize (oil), Los Angeles All-City Annual
  • 1964 Purchase Award (drawing), San Marino Drawing Invitational
  • 1981 Purchase Award, East Carolina University National Exhibition
  • Exhibited by Invitation (Selected)
  • Three Whitney Annuals
  • National Academy of Design
  • Corcoran Biennial
  • National Gallery of Art
  • Los Angeles County Museum of Art
  • Solo Exhibitions (Selected)
  • 1944 Cecina, Italy, paintings and drawings
  • 1946 Hollywood CA, American Contemporary Gallery, paintings and drawings
  • 1950 Los Angeles CA, Bisttram School of Fine Arts, watercolors
  • 1950 Coronado CA, Coronado School of Fine Arts, paintings and lithographs
  • 1951 San Diego CA, San Diego Fine Arts Museum, oils, watercolors, lithographs, and drawings
  • 1951 Fresno CA, Fresno State College, watercolors
  • 1954 Pasadena CA, Pasadena Museum of Art, watercolors
  • 1955 Whittier CA, Whittier Art Association, watercolors
  • 1957 Santa Maria CA, Santa Maria Jr. College
  • 1958 Los Angeles CA, Chouinard Art Institute, paintings and drawings
  • 1958 Los Angesles CA, Simone Gallery, watercolors, watercolors on cloth, oils
  • 1958 Santa Monica CA, Santa Monica Municipal Art Gallery, oils, watercolors, watercolors on cloth
  • 1960 Los Angeles CA, Paul Rivas Gallery, oils
  • 1962 Los Angeles CA, Paul Rivas Gallery, oils
  • 1964 Los Angeles CA, Paul Rivas Gallery, oils
  • 1965 Long Beach CA, Long Beach Museum 10 Year Retrospective
  • 1973 Raleigh, NC, Garden Gallery
  • 1975 Charlotte NC, Mint Museum
  • 1976 Greenville NC, Greenville Art Center, 5 Year Retrospective
  • 1978 Roanoke VA, Yeatts Gallery
  • 1980 Greenville NC, Gray Galleries East Carolina University, 73 paintings
  • 1982 Birmingham AL, Side-Show Gallery
  • 1985 Greenville NC, East Carolina University, 60 Images 1980-85
  • 1987 Bakersfield CA, Cunningham Art Gallery
  • 1989 Bakersfield CA, Clark Galleries
  • 1972-74 Twenty images on tour of galleries and museums in America
  • 2001 Bakersfield CA, Jill Thayer Galleries at the Fox, watercolors
  • Two to Five Person Exhibitions (Selected)
  • 1948 Los Angeles Art Association Four-person show
  • 1950 University of Southern California Five-person show
  • 1951 Los Angeles County Museum Four-person show
  • 1957 Sierra Madre Museum Five-person show
  • 1968 Downey Museum Four-person show
  • 1970 East Carolina University Two-person show
  • 1971 Louisburg College NC Two-person show
  • 1980 Somerhill Galleries, Chapel Hill NC Four-person show
  • Exhibited (Selected)
  • Pennsylvania Academy, San Francisco Museum, St. Louis Art Museum, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Baltimore Museum of Fine Arts, San Francisco World’s Fair International Exposition, Pennsylvania State Museum, University of California Los Angeles, University of Syracuse Museum, Library of Congress, Decatur Museum, Allen Memorial Art Museum, University of Minnesota, Cornell University, College of William and Mary, Springfield Museum of Art (Watercolor USA), University of No. Arizona, Parkland College IL (State of the Art in Watercolor), MoMA (Museum of Modern Art, New York.
  • Juror (Selected)
  • National Watercolor Society – five years
  • California State Fair Art Exhibit
  • Los Angeles County Art Exhibition
  • Watercolor USA, MO
  • Pittsburg Watercolor Open Exhibition
  • Indiana State Fair Art Exhibit
  • South Carolina Watercolor Open Exhibition
  • Oklahoma National Watercolor Exhibition
  • Rocky Mountain National Watermedia Exhibition, etc.
  • Professional Organizations
  • Watercolor USA Honor Society (Lifetime Achievement Award)
  • National Watercolor Society (Life member, past president)
  • American Watercolor Society
  • American Association of University Professors
  • Honorary Life Member of California Parent Teachers Association
  • Collections (Selected)
  • National Museum of American Art (National Gallery/Smithsonian Institution), six works
  • Los Angeles County Museum
  • State of California
  • United States Military History Archives/Museum, 66 paintings and drawings
  • University of California at Los Angeles
  • Grunwald Graphic Arts
  • Cole of California
  • Bart Lytton, Los Angeles
  • E. Gene Crain, Newport Beach
  • Buck Collection, Irvine, CA
  • LIFE Magazine War Art
  • City of Oxnard, CA
  • City of Carlsbad-Oceanside, CA
  • Gardena, CA High School
  • Artists Group of America, New York
  • Craven Institute, North Carolina
  • Greenville Art Museum, North Carolina
  • Louisburg College, North Carolina
  • North Carolina National Bank (10 works)
  • Consolidated University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
  • Music Corporation of America
  • Blue Cross of North Carolina
  • State of North Carolina
  • East Carolina University School of Medicine
  • East Carolina University
  • Branch Banking and Trust, North Carolina
  • Numerous private collections such as Julian sieroty, George Schrieber, Mitzi Hughes, John Eyres, George Fenneman, Herbert Wylie, and others.
  • Lectures (Selected)
  • 1951 Los Angeles County Museum of Art
  • 1952 Pacific Arts Association, University of California at Los Angeles
  • 1954 Fine Arts Conference, Idylwild
  • 1957 National Art Educators Association National Conference
  • 1969 Southern Illinois University
  • 1978 The University of Michigan at Ann Arbor
  • 1978 National Association of Needlework Retailers, Chicago
  • 1988 California State University, Bakersfield
  • 1992 Mississippi State University
  • 1992 East Carolina University
  • 1994 Sun Cities Museum of Art, AZ
  • Various art associations throughout the nation
  • Ed Reep late 1930s/early 1940s Ed Reep late 1930s/early 1940s.
    Captain Ed Reep sketching in Italy, World War II, 1944 Captain Ed Reep sketching in Italy, World War II, 1944.
    Ed Reep teaching at Chouinard Art Institute, 1950s. Ed Reep teaching at Chouinard Art Institute, 1950s.
    With Liberace in 1952 at the Tracy Putnam Exhibition in Beverly Hills, CA With Liberace in 1952 at the Tracy Putnam Exhibition in Beverly Hills, CA.
    Zurich 1956, Life Magazine Trip Zurich 1956, Life Magazine Trip.
    Ed Reep in his home studio on Reklaw Drive in Studio City, CA, May 1958. Ed Reep in his home studio on Reklaw Drive in Studio City, CA, May 1958.
    Girl artist corners Guggenheim Fellow Edward Reep in school cafeteria and gets a free crit, help away from class, on her watercolor. Caption: "Girl artist corners Guggenheim Fellow Edward Reep in school cafeteria and gets a "free crit," help away from class, on her watercolor."
    Caption: In Outdoor Shows - Pegot Waring, center, displays how she will generate wood sculpture in Beverly Hills Park Friday through next Sunday. Painter Richard Haines, left, and Edward Reep, who will unveil his water-color technique for visitors to Lou Costello Junior Recreation Center, look on. All are active in art festival preparation. Caption: In Outdoor Shows - Pegot Waring, center, displays how she will generate wood sculpture in Beverly Hills Park Friday through next Sunday. Painter Richard Haines, left, and Edward Reep, who will unveil his water-color technique for visitors to Lou Costello Junior Recreation Center, look on. All are active in art festival preparation.
    Walt Disney and Edward Reep in his Chouinard Art Institute classroom in the late 1950s or early 1960s Walt Disney and Edward Reep in his Chouinard Art Institute classroom in the late 1950s or early 1960s.
    Ed Reep painting on location, circa 1960s. Ed Reep painting on location, circa 1960s.
    In his downtown studio in Greenville, N.C., 1970. In his downtown studio in Greenville, N.C., 1970.
    In studio in Greenville, N. C. mid-1970s. In studio in Greenville, N. C. mid-1970s.
    Ed in his studio in Bakersfield, CA in 2012. Ed in his studio in Bakersfield, CA in 2012.