Barry O’Neil is the real deal. A Korean War veteran of the Navy with nautical experience, years as a lighthouse keeper, rigorous training in medical illustration, and then as a Coast Guard illustrator, Barry uses carbon pencils, charcoal, and watercolor pigments to depict ships and scenes from American maritime life and history. Barry O’Neil’s work is quintessential Cape Cod art that shows how profoundly the American experience is linked to the sea. 

Although Barry now realizes that he has been an artist his whole life, the words from one of his college professors provided inspirational guidance. When a biology professor noticed the accurate drawings of a dissection that Barry submitted as part of a lab, he exclaimed “My God, these are great illustrations!” This professor encouraged Barry to enroll in the Massachusetts General Hospital School of Medical Illustration where he sharpened his attention to realistic detail and learned many new artistic techniques. Barry worked as a medical illustrator for several Boston hospitals, and he became a master in the field. 

Aside from his technical work for hospitals, for over 50 years Barry has been refining his nautical art. In the early 70s Barry tried his hand at scrimshaw. Scrimshaw is carving and engraving on the teeth of maritime mammals often done by 19th century sailors in the whaling industry. Barry’s first scrimshaw engraving attempt was a ship. He brought it to the head of the Whaling Museum in New Bedford who said “It’s the worst thing I’ve ever seen.” Barry was undeterred. He gathered and studied a massive library of nautical reference materials and became an expert carver of scrimshaw. Though he no longer makes scrimshaw, many of Barry’s fine-line pencil drawings evoke the artform. 

Decades later, Barry’s time as the Nobska lighthouse keeper allowed him to more fully explore his unique artistic vision of the maritime world. And, as a member of the Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 11-2 in Woods Hole, Barry became an official artist for the United States Coast Guard. Combining the precision of an engineer with a love of the maritime world, Barry now proudly (and truly) exclaims, “When I do drawings, these ships can sail!” But his art is more than just technically accurate. He artfully juxtaposes nautical charts and symbols with ships and small craft in a way that is crisp and beautiful to behold. 

As a proud veteran, Barry O’Neil also uses his art to keep the sacrifices and history of American veterans alive. His art depicts ships, planes, and uniformed sailors from the First World War through Operation Desert Storm. Barry does this, he says, “to keep veterans in people’s minds. We owe our life, we owe our freedom to them.” He is particularly concerned that young people remember the nation’s history. For the 100th Anniversary of Coast Guard Chief Petty Officers, Barry completed a comprehensive depiction of the uniform changes from 1920-2020. He was  honored by the Master Chief of the USCG for this and other illustrations which now reside in USCG Headquarters in Washington,D.C.

Currently Barry is working on an illustrated whaling book with his daughter and his enthusiasm for this project is contagious. As he discussed the history of whaling in New England, Barry sounded like Ismael in Moby Dick. He characterized whaling as “99% boring, 1% sheer terror.” He then described with urgent imagery the danger and excitement in the whale hunting illustrations that he is currently creating. Always interested in young people learning about their nation’s history, Barry plans to include some black line drawings in the book for children to color. 

Barry’s work in charcoal, pencil, and watercolors has been displayed in galleries, hung in the Coast Guard Station at Woods Hole and Coast Guard Headquarters in DC, and he’s been commissioned to depict people’s private boats. It’s hard to believe that Barry O’Neil was once hesitant to display his fine art in public. He humbly says, “I just thought I was me.”  

O’Neil’s work can be seen in Falmouth across from the library at Gallery on Main, 317 Main Street and online at thegalleryonmainfalmouth.com.