Spear studied at George Washington University; at the Art Students League, New York; and at the Academie Julian in Paris. In 1905 he married Grace Chapman.
Spear's awards include a silver medal, San Francisco Exposition, 19l5; the second Altman Prize for "Sunrise", NAD, 192l; and the Ranger Fund Purchase Prize for "The Little Princess", NAD, 1924.
Spear maintained a studio in Fenway Studios, Boston and a summer home in Friendship, Maine. He was a member of the Guild of Boston Artists, the New York Watercolor Club, and St. Botolph Club.
Spear painted portraits, landscapes, the local scene and some fantasy academic nude ensembles. A retrospective of his work was held at the Guild of Boston Artists in 195l. His hobbies were shooting and fishing.
