Wilson attended Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College’s former Jefferson Davis Campus, now Harrison County Campus, from 1982 to 1984. By then, the Coast and its waters were already deeply woven into his life.
The son of retired U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Dick Wilson, a fighter pilot who served during the Vietnam era, and a schoolteacher, Wilson settled with his family on the Gulf Coast after his father was stationed at Keesler Air Force Base. His father later opened Wilson’s Fish Camp on Point Cadet in Biloxi. There, Marty learned to trawl for shrimp, fish for speckled trout and appreciate the marine life, landscapes and traditions that would eventually become the defining subjects of his art.
Today, he is the owner of Marty Wilson Galleries on Pass Road in Biloxi and a nationally known marine and wildlife artist whose career has spanned more than three decades. His work captures a distinctly Gulf Coast sense of place, from marine wildlife and fishing scenes to barrier islands and historic homes. His art has also expanded beyond the canvas to include his own clothing line featuring his designs and customized jewelry.
That connection to the Coast has allowed Wilson to use his artistic talent not only to celebrate the region but also to educate others and advocate for the natural resources that have inspired his life’s work.
Wilson was commissioned by the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources to create species identification posters featuring fishes of the Gulf of Mexico. His art has been featured by numerous major fishing tournaments, including the Mississippi Gulf Coast Billfish Classic and Mississippi Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo, and he created artwork for the FLW Pro Bass Tour for Walmart.
One of his works, “Double Trouble,” was selected for Mississippi’s first Coastal Conservation Association saltwater stamp and print. He has also been recognized by Ducks Unlimited as Outstanding Conservationist of the Year.
Among Wilson’s most visible contributions to the Gulf Coast is his work on the Bay St. Louis Bridge. As a member of the bridge’s design team, he created the 35-foot bas-relief monolith pylons at the foot of the bridge, incorporating elements of the Coast’s natural and cultural identity into a prominent piece of public art.
His work has earned national exposure as well. Wilson has appeared as a regional instructor for Salt Water Sportsmanmagazine’s National Seminar Series and on ESPN, and his artwork is held in private collections across the country.
Beyond his own art, Wilson has worked to protect the environment that has provided a lifetime of inspiration. As founder and president of the One Gulf One Goal Foundation, he has supported marine habitat restoration, fisheries conservation, public education and community involvement in environmental stewardship.
His work demonstrates how art can do more than capture the beauty of a place. It can help people understand that place, value it and become invested in preserving it for future generations.
For Wilson, however, the foundation of his career remains remarkably simple.
“I was always taught, the pinnacle of life is to do what you love and love what you do, and if you can make a living at it, I don’t think it can get any better than that,” he said.
For a boy who learned the waters of Point Cadet at his father’s fishing camp, that philosophy became a life and career devoted to capturing the Gulf Coast he knows best.
