Like his younger brother Gifford, Reynolds Beal received the majority of his artistic training from William Merritt Chase (1849-1916) in New York and Shinnecock, Long Island. He also took life classes at the National Academy of Design, and studied with Henry Ward Ranger (1858–1916). The prevailing subject matter found in his work is the sea, and he utilized both Impressionist and Tonalist techniques. As he got older, his work became more complex and vibrant with a mosaic of brush strokes. Although he called Rockport, Massachusetts his home for many years, he sailed a “floating studio” in search of scenery for his paintings up and down the eastern seaboard. He was a member of the American Watercolor Society, the Society of American Engravers, the Salmagundi Club, National Arts Club, and in 1909 was elected an Associate Member of the National Academy of Design. He founded the Society of Independent Artists and the New Society of Artists.