Excerpts from Biography submitted by artist and author David L. Wilson, Jr.
Maritime images continue to inspire all that see them. In a way such paintings, when done well, have the magical ability to transport us to “being there” stimulating a sense of emotional connection and feeling. Few if any could be stated to paint marine works as well as those painted by acclaimed seascape artist Charles Vickery (1913-1998). Although Vickery died at the age of 85 in 1998, his artistic legacy lives on. While anyone that hears Vickery’s name is to say that it is synonymous with his skills at capturing the virtual essence, the very soul of water through the medium of paint. The only thing that could be more astounding to those curious about his life and his work is when they discover that although he painted water he lived in a town so far from it.
Charles Vickery, known for his ability to paint water, lived in the Midwest town of Western Springs, a town without water. Vickery was born in the Southwestern town of Hinsdale Illinois in 1913, and as a child, moved to White Bear Lake, Minnesota. His skills and potential as an artist were noticed early on. Vickery continued to develop his young talent, at an early age. Vickery returned to the small southwestern town to attend high school. A graduate from Lyons Township High school in LaGrange Illinois, many of his accomplished works now hang in their meeting rooms, considered too valuable to be on display to the general public. Vickery went on to study art at the Art Institute of Chicago, and the American Academy of Fine Art. He often said that his greatest instructor was Lake Michigan. Vickery sketched and painted at the Chicago lakefront, Indiana Dunes, Oak Brook [Graw Mill], and along the Eastern seaboard among others.
