Whenever I start a new painting, I don’t know what will come from it…

We had lived in beautiful Williamsburg, VA, for 14 years, but were dreaming of moving to Charleston, SC, and becoming involved in their very active and thriving art community. One painting tells our story and is a metaphor for where we are today!

It was 2015 and I was in my Williamsburg home studio wondering what to paint next. It was a very slow art market, our local gallery where I was showing my work had just closed like many other galleries around the country, and artists I’ve known and had heard of were giving up on painting as their profession. It was a hard time professionally. I was understandably unmotivated.

Then one day I happened to read an article about “the friendliest city in America” and how it was going through an art renaissance with over 70 galleries, art walks, and a vibrant art community! We had been to Charleston many years earlier in our marriage and we both loved it. So we decided it would be fun to take a week over Christmas and explore Charleston.

Next thing I knew, we were back home and I had a big white canvas (40” x 30”) on my easel and I couldn’t wait to start painting. I wasn’t going to paint what I had been painting but something entirely new.

I was going to paint Rainbow Row! I love painting iconic scenes, but from a different perspective than most artists. What better challenge than to paint Charleston’s iconic Rainbow Row and make it recognizable as a BEEBE and not just another Rainbow Row painting.

So, with great enthusiasm I sketched out a light outline from the photographs I had taken on our recent trip. I decided to go with a strong perspective, looking down the sidewalk along East Bay Street. This would allow the wrought iron balconies to be pronounced, along with the overflowing flower boxes and awning. The lanterns, arched doorways, and working shutters all add charm to the colorful, historic facades while old fashioned street lights line the sidewalks that people from around the world walk to see a sight that is on their bucket list.

I finished my painting, entitled Downtown World, yet it had no place to be seen but on my studio wall and on our website. With that said, we had made up our minds that we wanted to move to Charleston. It took us about a year and a half to sell our home. All the while we were dreaming of what life might be like for us in Charleston.

Downtown World by William R. Beebe, 40 x 30, Oil on canvas, $9600 — ***Downtown World*** by William R. Beebe, 40 x 30, Oil on canvas, $9600

Finally, we settled into our new home in Mt. Pleasant, SC, a suburb of Charleston, and I was now painting Charleston scenes and living in Charleston County! The art scene was hopping, we were enjoying art walks on Friday nights and the galleries were thriving. I knew I needed to build up inventory of Charleston paintings and bird paintings before a local gallery would be interested in carrying my work, so I painted away for the next couple of years in my studio, and Downtown World remained on my studio wall longing to be seen.

A break came my way when I happened to bump into Mary Martin, the owner of two galleries in Charleston which are rated #1 in South Carolina and ranked in the top 25 galleries in the US. Suddenly, Downtown World and a good number of my other paintings were on display in her beautiful galleries. It was a dream come true! I had about 2 weeks on a high and then everything shut down. Covid 19 hit!

Over a year passed with a pandemic wreaking havoc on every business, lives were put on hold, and hundreds of thousands of Americans died.

The Belmond Charleston Place Hotel, one of the most beautiful, landmark hotels in Charleston where one of Mary Martin Galleries is located was closed just like everyone else. Downtown World was hanging in the gallery only to be seen by special appointment.

This last Mother’s Day weekend I walked into the now open Charleston Place Hotel. People from around the world were arriving in large numbers as the doormen, still wearing masks, opened doors and shuffled luggage onto luggage racks.

My visit was about delivering more of my paintings to the gallery. Not only that, it was to help move Downtown World and St. Philip’s Divine Light out into the opulent lobby of the hotel and help hang them.

St. Philip’s Divine Light by William R. Beebe, 40 x 30, Oil on canvas, — ***St. Philip’s Divine Light*** by William R. Beebe, 40 x 30, Oil on canvas,

Since Mary Martin Galleries exhibits original artwork throughout the hotel, Downtown World now finds itself in just about the most prominent space I could have ever imagined.

I stood there and took it all in. Downtown World had arrived, at least for the time being. Who knows where it will eventually end up since it is for sale, but for now it’s on exhibit in Charleston at the Belmond Charleston Place Hotel and represented by Mary Martin Galleries.

The large white canvas was painted with hopes and dreams and now they are fulfilled. I know how blessed I am to be doing what I love to do.

Every new painting offers new opportunities. That’s the way I look at it. The life of an artist isn’t easy and there are a lot of ups and downs, but finding inspiration and staying motivated is crucial.

Here is a pic of me standing in the lobby of the Belmond Charleston Place Hotel with my paintings Downtown World and St. Philip’s Divine Light above a beautiful antique sideboard. Thank you Mary Martin for appreciating my work and for displaying it so prominently!

Here I am at the Belmond Charleston Place Hotel lobby in front of my paintings!

Thanks to all of you for reading my journal and for all of your interest in my art and my photography. I appreciate it greatly. Please check back soon to see what’s next on my easel! A hint, I’m thinking big! :)

“One of the joys of being an artist is having the freedom to follow my passion….”

— William R. Beebe

Building on a Dream ~ the evolution of a painting and its destiny!