Internationally acclaimed painter, printmaker and sculptor Bert Seabourn died Thursday at his Warr Acres home. He was 91.
“Bert Seabourn painted every day of his long life, creating an expansive body of work that threaded multiple artistic strands together to create incredibly vibrant and enduring compositions. As a teacher, he inspired generations of students through master classes and mentorship," said Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center Director Jeremiah Matthew Davis in an email.
"He helped build this institution, and he will be sorely missed by his friends and colleagues here and across the country."
Oklahoma artist took his paintings across the world
Particularly renowned for his colorful canvases depicting people, animals and abstracts, Seabourn's paintings are in the permanent collections of the Vatican in Rome; China's National Palace Museum in Taiwan; Moscow University in Russia; the American Embassy in London; and the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.
His work also is in the President Gerald R. Ford Library Collection and the George and Barbara Bush Collection.
Locally, his work is part of the Oklahoma State Art Collection, National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, Oklahoma City Museum of Art and Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art. His distinctive outdoor sculpture "Wind Walker" is displayed on the north side of the Oklahoma attorney general's office.
Plus, Seabourn exhibited at the downtown OKC Festival of the Arts for more than four decades.
"As prolific and extensive as his career was, Bert never grew complacent and always sought to evolve as an artist. He was a humble and gentle person, always generous with his time, and his constant presence in the arts community will be missed," said Oklahoma Arts Council Executive Director Amber Sharples in an email.
Even into his 90s, the prolific painter continued to show and sell his paintings at JRB Art at the Elms, North Gallery and Studio, and 50 Penn Place Art Gallery. On Sunday, he marked the opening of a new show at the latter, where he is the gallery's featured artist for November and December.
"I paint every day, since probably when I left OG&E (in 1978). I used to paint a painting every day, and I did that for several years. And then I slowed down and started painting larger ones, maybe (with) a little more detail," Seabourn told The Oklahoman in a 2021 interview.
"I'll even sit up in bed, thinking about subject matter."
Aspiring artist would hitchhike and ride the rails to exhibits
Born July 9, 1931, in Redbarn, Texas, Seabourn grew up poor, but watching a painter at a local park make and sell artwork inspired him as a boy to consider pursuing art as a career.
"Whenever he was about 12 or so is when he moved to Purcell, and whenever he was a young man ... he used to hitchhike out to different art shows," Connie Seabourn, one of Seabourn's three daughters and a fellow artist, told The Oklahoman.
"He would go up to Oklahoma City and to Tulsa and to Dallas, sometimes hitchhiking, but he and this friend, they would also just jump on trains to go wherever they were going."
The Purcell High School alumnus worked as a Navy journalist and artist from 1951-55 during the Korean War and then as an illustrator and commercial artist for 23 years with Oklahoma Gas & Electric Co. For six years, Seabourn went to night school at Oklahoma City University, where he majored in art.
"During that time, I started painting at night and entering shows that way. The style and subject matter all have (been) pretty much the same: People, animals, birds. I don't do still lifes or landscapes or anything like that. I do cats and dogs, buffaloes, Native Americans," he told The Oklahoman last year.
"For three years, I did nothing but abstracts, but then I branched out from that."
Prolific painter met presidents and movie stars
exhibiting throughout the United States, Europe, Asia and South America.
"When I was younger, I had shows in England, Germany, Russia, Taiwan. ... We had annual shows in New York, California, New Mexico, Arizona and Colorado ... and Bonnie's always been with me," he said, referring to his high school sweetheart and wife of 72 years.
Along with exhibiting, the couple collected art in their worldwide travels, amassing an array of paintings, prints and sculptures to rival many galleries.
"We were on the road a lot. I sometimes wondered how he painted as much as he did because we were on the road. But it was fun," Bonnie Seabourn told The Oklahoman in 2021. "We met so many people. We've met presidents and movie stars. It's been a fun, exciting life."
As he got older and traveled less, Seabourn started teaching classes at Edmond Fine Arts Institute and Oklahoma Contemporary. He retired from teaching in late 2018, after he fell down the stairs of his home during a Christmas party, fracturing his skull and sustaining multiple injuries.
"It was pretty awful and the recovery was long. ... He couldn't paint for so long, then he was in rehab for so long," Bonnie Seabourn said. "After he got into rehab, he had them bring him a sketchbook, and he would sketch there in rehab almost every day."
Oklahoman earned many awards for his work
In 1976, Seabourn was designated a Master Artist by the Five Civilized Tribes Museum, and in 1981, Gov. George Nigh presented him with the Governor's Art Award. In 1997, OCU honored him with an honorary doctorate.
He received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Paseo Arts Association in 2009, and Oklahoma Contemporary surprised him with its first Focus Award last year.
"I think that Bert can serve as an inspiration for all of us of the power of persistence and grit," Davis said shortly after presenting him with the Focus Award.
Seabourn had a heart attack on July 7 — two days before his 91st birthday — but soon was able to return home and continue painting.
He is survived by his wife, Bonnie, of the home; daughter Connie Seabourn and spouse Kathy Buttry, of Oklahoma City; daughter Angela Webb and husband Tom Webb, of Oklahoma City; daughter Jimmie Seabourn, of Enid; granddaughter Heather Webb Bush and husband Brad Bush, of Oklahoma City; granddaughter Elizabeth Seabourn West and spouse Cory West, of Edmond; granddaughter Rachel Webb Webb and husband Mark Webb, of Mustang; grandson Carson Seabourn Webb and wife Candace Webb, of Oklahoma City; eight great-grandchildren and three step-great-grandchildren; and two step-great-great-grandchildren.
Services were 10 a.m. Nov. 21 at North MacArthur Church of Christ with Buchanan Funeral Home.
