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