Belgian born artist Pierre De Wispelaere has been residing on beautiful Vancouver Island on Canada’s west coast since 1957. A veteran of the Belgian Army as well as the Merchant Marine, began painting aboard ship, capturing world-wide naval and nautical subjects in pastels. An intense interest in military history led to a life long study of this subject. Many of his paintings can now be found in private collections and museums around the world and some have been reproduced in nautical publications. Each painting is meticulously researched and completed in minute detail. In each work, Pierre attempts to capture a moment of time in history. Further study and research have resulted in more focus and specialization, such as paintings of aircraft, armored fighting vehicles and battle scenes. At present, Pierre is engaged in creating a series of painting depicting the History of the United States Marine Corps. A sizable historical work of the Sixth Marine division on Okinawa entitled “The Battle of Sugar Loaf Hill” was recently completed. A print of which is being shown in the Okinawa War Museum.
The Medium
Ships, aircraft or vehicles; they all have something in common. All are designed by human brains and are built by human hands. They come in all sorts of shapes, sizes, forms and colors. Artwork of these also is done by human hands. In my case I use chalk pastels (mostly Schminke and Rembrant), as well as graphite (Derwent) and color pencils. Over the years I have found these three mediums to be very compatible. Normally I create on Stonehenge paper and being a “lefty” work from right to left and back to front. Once finished, the original work is sprayed several times with an acrylic fixative to prevent any smudging.
In order to create these works I have at my disposal a photo file approaching one million photographs of ships, aircraft, combat scenes, etc., which has taken me almost forty years to compile. In addition, I have a very substantial library which is indispensable in doing the research required to make every painting as accurate as possible.
A Message from the Artist
“Buck Danny” was my hero. Although only a Belgian version of “terry and the Pirates”, this comic book character kindled my interest in Military History. the illustrations of ships and aircraft in this adventure comic led me to delve deeper in this most interesting field. Naturally I tried to create my own version of my hero. The result was preordained. I failed. However, with the help of a very understanding teacher I continued my artistic endeavours. I continued drawing and painting and eventually developed my own style. A hitch in the Belgian Army added to my knowledge of Military History and equipment. Although I had requested the Navy, the Military in all it’s wisdom turned me into an Army Medic. Upon my discharge I joined the Merchant Marine and sailed the seven seas for quite some time. Aboard ship I continued painting during my off hours and concentrated my efforts on marine subjects. Eventually I settled back in Canada but now drifted into a different field of art. Namely cartooning. However, before long the sea was calling me back and once again it was the ships that captured my imagination.
I found that pastel, graphite and color pencils make a great combination. A bonus is that I don’t have to wash any brushes. With the continual encouragement and help from my wife I set out to capture the history of seafaring and the military on canvas. Now some 700 paintings later, you can see the result on “Halls of Montezuma.” Artwork is more than a fancy decoration to be hung on the wall. It usually says something about the owner and can very often become a serious investment. But above all, it is to be enjoyed. So take a good look through this website, and enjoy!