Background
Harry Reeks was born in Covington, Louisiana. His father, John F. Reeks, was an artist. Harry Reeks would study under his father, a Spanish artist named Jose Mass, and Charles Reinike.
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Harry Reeks
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Career
His early landscape work included paintings of New Orleans. He relocated to California in 1939. Reeks was a combat artist for the United States Marine Corps.
He was at the Battle of Iwo Jima.
He arrived with the invasion force. He was there for 30 days and was injured twice during the battle.
Reeks also documented the New Georgia Campaign, the Bougainville Campaign, the Battle of Guam, and the Battle of Saipan. After his service, he returned to California.
Back in California, Reeks painted the sights and landscapes of San Francisco.
He was visiting Hawaii and met Chloe Baker, who was in the United States Marine Corps Reserve. In 1954 they moved to Biloxi, Mississippi. He worked for a public relations firm and did interviews with Elvis Presley.
He was a portrait artist for a resort.
Reeks also became a realtor and worked in Gulf Hills, Mississippi. Reeks started his own real estate company in 1967.
He also worked for Spurgeon Pickering doing land development and was the foreman for the development of Gulf Park Estates, Mississippi. The work of Reeks is held in the collections of the Anne South.K. Brown Military Collection at Brown University Library and the Parris Island Museum.
He also became a sculptor, following in the footsteps of his father, who was also a sculptor.
His sculptures are held in the collection of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Biloxi. Sculptural works include Sam Dale Monument in Daleville, Mississippi and the Golden Fisherman in Biloxi, Mississippi.
