Barclay Sheaks (VA, 1928-2010), Coastal Still Life with Crab and Shells

acrylic polymer on Masonite, signed and dated 1962 at upper left, inscribed to verso, presented in the original frame.
Frame dimensions 30 1/2 x 11 1/2 in.
Barclay Sheaks was born in Indiana and grew up in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. In 1948, he began teaching at Warwick High School in Newport News, Virginia. In 1967, he left the high school and founded the art program at Virginia Wesleyan University.

Sheaks was a highly respected artist and educator. In addition to his career at the university, he also served as artist-in-residence for the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and the Richmond Humanities Center. He gained a national following due to his hosting a program on painting with acrylics for public television.

Sheaks work documents life and history of his beloved Chesapeake Bay. His work has been exhibited at the Butler Institute of American Art, Youngstown, Ohio Columbia Museum of Art, Columbia, South Carolina; Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, Virginia; National Academy of Design, New York; the Corcoran Gallery, Washington, D.C.; and others.
Collection of a Gentleman, Eastern North Carolina
Additional high-resolution photos are available at www.lelandlittle.com

Some accretions to top of frame; light surface grime.