Description:

Wilbur Meese
American, (1910-1998)
lighthouse
watercolor / gouache on paper
signed lower right.

Biography from the Archives of askART: Wilbur W. Meese was born 25 December 1910 in Saint Joseph, Champaign County, Illinois, a son of James and Lora McKinney Meese. James Meese was a farmer. Wilbur Meese was a painter in watercolors.

He studied at Circle Art Academy, Butler University, and Cleveland Art Institute. He also studied under George Jo Mess and Gordon Mess. He exhibited at the Indiana Watercolor Society and the Hoosier Salon. He won prizes at numerous exhibitions including the Indiana State Fair, Hoosier Salon, and Indiana Artists Club amongst others.

Meese worked as a commercial artist, a package designer and became Art Director and Manager of Advertising Design for Eli Lilly and Company. He was married to Ella Jean Ward in 1946.

He was a member and past president of the Indiana Artists Club, a founding member and past president of the Art Directors club of Indiana, and a charter member and first president of the Watercolor Society of Indiana in 1983 where an award in his name was created by that society.

Meese's work is held by numerous corporate and private collections, and Purdue, Indiana State and Indiana Universities. Meese won numerous awards including at the Hoosier Salon, the Indiana Artists Club, the Watercolor Society of Indiana and the Kentucky Watercolor Society.

Meese is mentioned in Who Was Who in American Art by Peter Falk; Davenport's Art Reference and Price Guide; and The Encyclopedia of Indianapolis by Bodenhamer.

Wilbur Meese died 28 August 1998 in Indianapolis, Indiana and he, and his wife are buried in the Washington Park North Cemetery, Indianapolis.

Researched, written and submitted by Kevin Daniel, University of Illinois graduate student of Library and Information Science with a focus on art Cataloging.

  • Dimensions: 17 1/8"H x 24 3/4"W (sight), 31 1.2"H x 38"W (frame)
  • Medium: watercolor / gouache on paper

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September 24, 2022 11:00 AM EDT
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