Herb Willey Art Exhibition

Join us for Herb Willey’s Art Exhibition Opening from 5:00-7:00pm.

This fantastic exhibition will end on March 31. His watercolor pieces have been juried and honored in regional, national and international shows including the Arts of Hancock County, The Gulf Coast Art Association, the Ocean Springs Art Association, The Pass Christian Art Association annual shows and the River Road Show in Baton Rouge.

Herb Willey’s first structured art lessons were in high school in Miami, Florida. While serving in the Navy, Herb attended the University of Hawaii as a part-time art student and sold his paintings in the art colony at Ala Moana. After leaving the Navy he attended USL at Lafayette, Louisiana on scholarship as a fine art major. While attending USL, Herb worked as staff artist at the Daily Iberian in New Iberia, Louisiana. Herb’s collage work was selected by the Louisiana State Art
Commission in 1963 for a 1-year traveling exhibit in all the Louisiana State Art Museums. His acrylic paintings of Louisiana swamp scenes were chosen by the LaSalette Hospital Board to decorate their hospital in Loreauville, LA.

As a self-employed designer from 1965-2003, Herb won awards from companies including Mercury Outboard Motors and Cook Chemical Company. His primary watercolor instruction was with the well known New Orleans watercolorist, Harrel Gray and his work was on display at the Old Quarter Gallery in the French Quarter during the 90’s. Herb is a full-time Bay St Louis resident.

His work is displayed at Gallery 220 and Bay Life in Bay St Louis and his prints are for sale in the Walter Anderson Museum in Ocean Springs, MS. His watercolor pieces have been juried and honored in regional, national and international shows including the Arts of Hancock County, The Gulf Coast Art Association, the Ocean Springs Art Association, The Pass Christian Art Association annual shows and the River Road Show in Baton Rouge. He has also been featured in local venues including the Hancock County Courthouse, the Bay St Louis Mayor’s Office and the Diamondhead Library.

In August 2014 Herb was selected as both The Seacoast Echo “Artist of the Week” and “Artist of the Month”. He was a guest artist at the “Whimsies”art show and sale in New Orleans at the Louise McGehee School­­ and was chosen “Peoples Choice” Artist in 2015 in “The Arts Invitational Jury Show” at the Waveland City Hall Gallery. In 2016 He was chosen to appear in the LSU “Brush with Burden” Art exhibit, as well as the International River Road Show in Baton Rouge.

He was juried in to International shows Including the Louisiana Watercolor Society annual show (the only Mississippi water colorist to be chosen), The Water Tower Watercolor Show in Mendocino, CA, the Mighty Tieton annual show in Tieton, WA, the International Watercolor Society shows in Hong Kong and Taiwan where his entry “Live Crabs” was purchased.

Most recent shows include a one month solo show at the MGCCC Jackson County Campus Fine Art Gallery where his 40 piece exhibit included 25 pieces from his latest project that spans 2 years work, Along Beach Blvd. A study of people, activity and sights located along Beach Blvd. from Bayou Caddy to Ocean Springs. His latest show was a solo show at the Waveland City Hall, Hancock Arts sponsored Wave Art Gallery.