Maurice R. Bebb
Encyclopedia
Maurice R. Bebb (or M. R. Bebb as he signed his work) was a notable etcher and printmaker of the American Midwest, whose best-known subjects were birds native to Oklahoma
and Minnesota
, where he spent his time. Not only an expert draftsman, Bebb was a master of color. Etching involves using copper plates on which an artist has etched or “bitten” his picture with acid. Color etchings like Bebb’s require two to four copper plates, each is inked with one or more different colors and printed one over the other to produce the finished picture. Technically, the process is called multi-plate soft-ground and aquatint
etching.
Bebb was born in Chicago in 1891. He graduated from the University of Illinois in 1913 and moved to Muskogee, Oklahoma
, where he lived the rest of his life. By profession, he was a florist and had no formal art training. He established a florist business in Muskogee and married his first wife, Helen. In his early 50s, he began to draw, and later wrote a friend that he had always been an artist but didn’t realize it until later in life. He studied original prints from other artists and read technical manuals, then began working on copper plates around 1943. At that time he befriended and received encouragement from Charles M. Capps, Arthur W. Hall, Leon R. Pescheret, F. Leslie Thompson and other well-established printmakers of the time, most of whom had formal training and had studied color etching in Europe or with master printmakers. Charles M. Capps was a charter member of the Prairie Print Makers, a group Bebb later joined.
In 1951, Bebb retired from his florist business to devote himself full-time to his art. He traveled to Europe twice, once for eight months and a second time for six months, and took advantage of the long-standing presence of printmakers in Europe to secure copper plates, inks and other supplies.
Bebb’s first etchings were exhibited in 1949 and he enjoyed instant success. The follow year he received the Purchase Prize of the Graphic Chemical Company at the Chicago Annual Exhibition. The Print Makers Society of California selected his print “Black Swans” (1952) for their 1953 publication. His color etching of “Yellow-Throated Warbler” was chosen as the 44th presentation print and presented to associate members of the Chicago Society of Etchers in 1954. Then, in 1960, his print “White-Breasted Nuthatch” was selected for the thirtieth publication of the Prairie Print Makers.
Nan Sheets, fellow artist and the first Oklahoman to be included in the annual publication of Who's Who in American Art, wrote, “In Mr. Bebb we have an artist of recognition who pays attention to true perspective, clarity of design, rhythm of modulated line, and who is an expert draftsman. . . . The Bebb pencil drawings are not quickly executed sketches but carefully considered works, with proper consideration of pencil technique. As a color etcher he ranks with the very best in the country. He excels not only because he is able to draw, but because he has mastered the various methods employed in making etchings. The fact that he has artistic ability to portray what he sees, and as simply as possible, places him high among his fellow artists.”
In January 2011, students at Sadler Arts Academy in Muskogee, OK received a grant from The Kennedy Center to make a short film about Bebb. Bebb created over 175 subjects and today his work can be found in several permanent collections including those of Cornell University and the University of Kansas.
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
and Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, where he spent his time. Not only an expert draftsman, Bebb was a master of color. Etching involves using copper plates on which an artist has etched or “bitten” his picture with acid. Color etchings like Bebb’s require two to four copper plates, each is inked with one or more different colors and printed one over the other to produce the finished picture. Technically, the process is called multi-plate soft-ground and aquatint
Aquatint
Aquatint is an intaglio printmaking technique, a variant of etching.Intaglio printmaking makes marks on the matrix that are capable of holding ink. The inked plate is passed through a printing press together with a sheet of paper, resulting in a transfer of the ink to the paper...
etching.
Bebb was born in Chicago in 1891. He graduated from the University of Illinois in 1913 and moved to Muskogee, Oklahoma
Muskogee, Oklahoma
Muskogee is a city in Muskogee County, Oklahoma, United States. It is the county seat of Muskogee County, and home to Bacone College. The population was 38,310 at the 2000 census, making it the eleventh-largest city in Oklahoma....
, where he lived the rest of his life. By profession, he was a florist and had no formal art training. He established a florist business in Muskogee and married his first wife, Helen. In his early 50s, he began to draw, and later wrote a friend that he had always been an artist but didn’t realize it until later in life. He studied original prints from other artists and read technical manuals, then began working on copper plates around 1943. At that time he befriended and received encouragement from Charles M. Capps, Arthur W. Hall, Leon R. Pescheret, F. Leslie Thompson and other well-established printmakers of the time, most of whom had formal training and had studied color etching in Europe or with master printmakers. Charles M. Capps was a charter member of the Prairie Print Makers, a group Bebb later joined.
In 1951, Bebb retired from his florist business to devote himself full-time to his art. He traveled to Europe twice, once for eight months and a second time for six months, and took advantage of the long-standing presence of printmakers in Europe to secure copper plates, inks and other supplies.
Bebb’s first etchings were exhibited in 1949 and he enjoyed instant success. The follow year he received the Purchase Prize of the Graphic Chemical Company at the Chicago Annual Exhibition. The Print Makers Society of California selected his print “Black Swans” (1952) for their 1953 publication. His color etching of “Yellow-Throated Warbler” was chosen as the 44th presentation print and presented to associate members of the Chicago Society of Etchers in 1954. Then, in 1960, his print “White-Breasted Nuthatch” was selected for the thirtieth publication of the Prairie Print Makers.
Nan Sheets, fellow artist and the first Oklahoman to be included in the annual publication of Who's Who in American Art, wrote, “In Mr. Bebb we have an artist of recognition who pays attention to true perspective, clarity of design, rhythm of modulated line, and who is an expert draftsman. . . . The Bebb pencil drawings are not quickly executed sketches but carefully considered works, with proper consideration of pencil technique. As a color etcher he ranks with the very best in the country. He excels not only because he is able to draw, but because he has mastered the various methods employed in making etchings. The fact that he has artistic ability to portray what he sees, and as simply as possible, places him high among his fellow artists.”
In January 2011, students at Sadler Arts Academy in Muskogee, OK received a grant from The Kennedy Center to make a short film about Bebb. Bebb created over 175 subjects and today his work can be found in several permanent collections including those of Cornell University and the University of Kansas.
External links
- The dedicated Maurice R Bebb website
- The Kennedy Center On Location Showcase