| BRITISH COLUMBIA ARTISTS |
Beebe married Vera Betsy Hynes in Vancouver on September 10, 1940.
The two books on wildflowers he illustrated for George and Winnifred Hardy in 1949 and 1964 contain two hundred watercolours reproduced in each volume, an amazing total of four hundred paintings in just one series. He also illustrated, among other books, the Guide to Common Edible Plants of British Columbia, and The Grasses of British Columbia, both being handbooks from the Provincial Museum.
Beebe worked (at least) in watercolour, airbrush, and scratchboard for his
illustrations. Information on the dust jacket about the authors and illustrator
for Wild Flowers In The Rockies includes the following about Beebe:
|
Frank L. Beebe has been called the Bootstrap Audubon because he has won for
himself a name of importance as artist, naturalist and ornithologist without
the aid of formal training of any sort in either art or the sciences. The late
Allen Brooks advised against sending Beebe to an art
school and said: "Give him field glasses and let him study birds, flowers, and
mammals in the woods and he will develop his native talent, which is already
considerable." He has developed a unique method of illustration by use of standard brushes in water color, supplemented by air brush. Beebe is a naturalist first and an artist second. The rare combination of the two has resulted in such scientists as Dr. Clifford Carl, director of the British Columbia Provincial Museum; Dr. W.A. Clemens, head of the Zoology Department, University of British Columbia; Dr. Ian McTaggart-Cowan and many others, choosing him to do the illustrations of flora and fauna for their works. Art is worthless in a scientific sense without representation, accurate to the millimeter, of stamen, petal, feather and scale. Because of Mr. Beebe's reputation in artistry and accuracy to the smallest detail, he was selected to illustrate "Wild Flowers In The Rockies." For accuracy and beauty of expression this representation of the wild flowers in the Rockies is without its peer. |
Beebe was a co-founder of the North American Falconers Association.
Books by or about Beebe include:
A Falconry Manual. Surrey, B.C.: Hancock House, 2017. ISBN 978-0-88839-978-6
Compleat Falconer. Surrey, B.C.: Hancock House, 1992. ISBN 978-0-88839-253-4
Frank Beebe the Artist. Surrey, B.C.: Hancock House, 1992. ISBN 0-88839-256-7
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
| DATE | EXHIBITION | LOCATION |
| 1949 May 3 - June 0 (?) | Wild Flowers in the Rockies | Vancouver Art Gallery |
| DATE | EXHIBITION | ARTWORK |
| 1938 Sept. 16 - Oct. 9 | VAG B.C. Artists 7th Annual | Golden Eagle |
| Barrows and American Goldeneyes | ||
| 1940 Sept. 20 - Oct. 13 | VAG B.C. Artists 9th Annual | Goshawk |
| Columbian Ground Squirrel | ||
| 1941 Sept. 26 - Oct. 19 | VAG B.C. Artists 10th Annual | Cougar |
| Golden Crown Kinglet |
PROFILES OF A HERITAGE - Images of Wildlife by British Columbia Artists
Published by Centennial Wildlife Society of British Columbia and Liane Davison
1987, no ISBN, Traveling Exhibition Curated by Liane Davison
Sofcover, not paginated, works illustrated in colour and black & white
Includes Foreword by Patricia Bovey, Introduction, biographies, artist statements
Includes early artwork by Frank Beebe.
CANADIAN ART PRINTS (refer to CAP79)
ARTISTS IN CANADA - provides birthdate and place.
Lists files on Beebe at:
Edmonton Art Gallery - Library
Vancouver Public Library - Fine Arts and Music Division
University of British Columbia - Fine Arts Library
Vancouver Art Gallery - Library
National Gallery of Canada - Library and Archives
Art Gallery of Ontario - Edward P. Taylor Research Library and Archives
VANCOUVER PUBLIC LIBRARY - B.C. ARTISTS FILES (refer to VPL)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Beebe
B.C. VITAL STATISTICS ON-LINE marriage (refer to BCVS)