This biography from the Archives of AskART:
| A landscape artist, Blanche Cole grew up in Indiana, and Denver and Leadville, Colorado. In 1887, she went to Europe, spending over a year in Florence, Italy where she studied with the sculptor Preston Powers. Then she attended the Academie Julian in Paris until 1893, followed by time in Madrid with James Whistler and Charles Lasar in Paris.
In 1893, she returned to Colorado and divided her time between Leadville and Denver until 1894 when she married William Cole, an artist and businessman. They moved to Hinsdale, Illinois, but she spent much time in Colorado and wrote newspaper articles there, and by 1900, she was teaching art in Denver. In 1903, she moved permanently to Los Angeles where she taught art for many years and painted commissioned portraits and sculptures.
Although she had lived in areas of beautiful landscapes, early in her career she did portraiture rather than landscape views. However, in 1898, a railroad sent her to the reservation of the Moquis of northern Arizona where she did sketches and wrote for a guidebook, and this led to her continuing interest in western themes. After that she exhibited sketches of Native Americans in Denver and continued to convey that interest in her artwork. Between 1907 and 1911, the Santa Fe Railway Company acquired eight of her canvases.
Source: "Women Artists of the American West" by Phil Kovinick and Marian Yoshiki-Kovinick. | |
This biography from the Archives of AskART:
| Born in Richmond, IN on Aug. 12, 1869, Blanche Dougan grew up in Colorado. Opting for an art career, she spent 1887 studying with sculptor Preston Powers in Italy, followed by six years in Paris at Académie Julian and with William Bouguereau, James Whistler, and Tony Robert-Fleury.
Upon returning from Europe she married artist Wm H. Cole in 1894 and divided her time between Illinois and Colorado. By 1900 she was teaching art in Denver.
Shortly after the turn of the century she settled in Los Angeles into a studio in the Blanchard Building. She taught art and lectured locally; by 1923 she ran the art section of the MacDowell Club. She died in Los Angeles on Dec. 1, 1956.
Her work includes landscapes, portraits, and Indian subjects.
Exhibitions:
World's Columbian Expo (Chicago), 1893; Denver Artists Club, 1894-1901; Alaska-Yukon Expo (Seattle), 1909; McDowell Club (LA), 1923, 1925.
Collections:
Santa Fe Railway; Denver Public Library. | Source:
Edan Hughes, "Artists in California, 1786-1940"
American Art Annual 1898-1925; Southern California Artists (Nancy Moure); Women Artists of the American West; Los Angeles Examiner, 12-2-1956 (obituary). | | Nearly 20,000 biographies can be found in Artists in California 1786-1940 by Edan Hughes and is available for sale ($150). For a full book description and order information please click here. |
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