Wayne Beam Morrell was born in 1923 in Clementon, New Jersey. He was an American Impressionist painter known for his luminous marine scenes, coastal views, landscapes, and snowscapes, especially of New England and Rockport, Massachusetts. Morrell studied draftsmanship and commercial art at the Philadelphia Museum School of Industrial Art and aeronautical design at Drexel University. After early work in shipyards and a stint as a commercial artist, he served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War era, where he painted murals and met his future wife, Lillian Major.

Following his discharge in 1952, Morrell worked as art director for an industrial exhibit design firm in Connecticut, creating aerospace-themed displays shown at international air shows. He began painting seriously in 1953 and left commercial work around 1961 to pursue fine art full time, settling with his family in Rockport. Largely self-taught as a fine artist, he worked in oil, pastel, and watercolor, drawing inspiration from nature’s light and from masters such as George Inness and Claude Monet.

Morrell became a prominent member of the Rockport Art Association and other groups, including the Allied Artists of America and Salmagundi Club. He exhibited widely, won awards such as the Rockport Gold Medal and Jane Peterson Prize, and received a 40-year retrospective at Drexel University in 1992. His paintings are held in public and private collections across the United States. He died at home in Rockport on December 4, 2013.