See photos of the pioneering women artists in the El Paso area.
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Charlotte Bass came to El Paso in 1966 to after a long successful career in painting. She continued her work in El Paso and was a well-known art teacher. She studied painting with George Luks, Charles Hawthrone. Bass exhibited paintings in New York and one of her painting, ” The Portuguese Girl” was purchased by the Brooklyn Museum. Bass exhibited at Sun Carnival, El Paso Art Association annual member shows. Bass once said to El Paso Times Reporter, Betty Pierce that she did not believe in formulas for painting. She did agree with some standard notions about portrait paintings, for example, she did not think flesh tones were not a standard of a few special pigments but believed the color of a person skin tone must be done based on the color of the subject clothing and lighting. She taught art classes at the YWCA. She worked as Arts Editor of Modern Bride Magazine Editor and World Petroleum. Bass studied in Cape Cod with Charles Hawthorne and at Art Student League and National Academy of Design.
image courtesy of UTEP Library Special Collections
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Wanda Hermann came from a Polish noble family, she along with her mother and siblings
escaped Poland during WWI. That experience helped shape her career as an artist. Wanda often signed her paintings with her maiden name, DeTurczynowicz.Hermann studied art at the Ontario College of Art. She sold her first painting at age nine in new york. She was one of the founders of the El Paso Art Association in 1948. She was one of the organizers of the El Paso Sun Carnival Art Shows. She exhibited art in Ontario, British Columbia and Vancouver. She won contests for her work with mixed media, Oils, and watercolors. She was the first El Paso Artist to exhibit in the Museum of History and Art in Juarez.
image courtesy of UTEP Library Special Collections
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Helen Wynn, known her paintings of windmills .
image courtesy of UTEP Library Special Collections
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Wynn studied art at the Texas Women’s University and also studied under Wanda Hermann. She also developed a new technique for Golden Leaf Flowers. She worked at MacArthur School.
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Dorothy Petersen with her painting at the 1950 El Paso Art Association Art Show at the main library .
image courtesy of El Paso Times
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Grace Smith taught English at Texas Western College later known as UTEP. She was chosen as “Best Dressed Faculty Member” and Outstanding Faculty Woman”. She painted portraits of some prominent el pasoans including Paul Heisig, Roy Hoard, and Judge R.E. Cunningham. She also did paintings for the White Department Store when it moved to Bassett. Also a a painting of hers, “Tarahumara” hung at the El Paso National Bank. She exhibited at the El Paso Woman’s Club.
image courtesy of El Paso Times
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Another early woman artist was Eloise Hobble and she lived on 600 blacker street. Hobble came to El Paso in 1939, after living for twenty years in Spain with her family. Her father worked for the electric company in Spain. The family had to leave, because of the Spanish Civil War. Hobble experiences in Spain inspired her work as an artist. She trained under Francisco Pausas and Enrique Claraso. Hobble like Freeman became a well-known portrait painter in El Paso. One of her painting “Ann Asleep’ was praised by El Paso Herald-Post Reporter, Betty Dyer. Crimsons and warm orange colors were some key characteristics in her some of her paintings.
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Zilpha Heid was another portrait painter. She studied under George Washburn and later studied portrait painting under Eloise Hobble. From Hobble, she learned the dry brush method of oil painting. Heid painted the portrait of General William Booth and it hanged at the Salvation Army’s Booth Memorial Home. Heid had exhibits at El Paso Women’s Club, Griggs restaurants, The Birdcage Cafe, and received various awards from the El Paso Art Association. Heid was Chairman-Director of the Women Department of the Chamber of Commerce. Heid and her husband, Joe had a house designed by Mabel Welch, which was on 8564 North Loop. Heid once said she only painted in oils, because she liked the smell.
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Lois Denton specialized in oil and pastel painting landscapes. Denton was born in Clay County, Texas she came to El Paso in 1909 and taught art for forty years in El Paso Schools. Denton attended the Southern University of California, Cornish School of Art, and Otis Art Institute. Denton taught for 20 years at the Adult Education Department at UTEP. She worked as an engineering draftsman during WWII. In 1968 for her work in art education it was declared “Lois Denton Day” by Mayor Judson Williams and City Council. She was also a charter member of the El Paso Art Association.
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Leola Freeman was born in Gonzales, Texas. She came to El Paso at a young age, her father was a pioneer El Paso dentist and civic leader, Francis Warnock. Leola studied art at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. She was once described as one of El Paso’s top portrait painters. She taught and educated many young artists. She had her own art studio first on the first floor of Hotel Paso Del Norte and then later on Concepcion streets. She married to fellow a portrait painter, Lloyd Freeman and had several children with him. After his death, she remarried well-known watercolorist, Michael McElroy. She exhibited with the El Paso Art Guild, at this point, she specialized in Pastels on canvas. Freeman portrait of El Paso Pioneer, Joseph Magoffin hung at the courthouse. She painted a portrait of another El Paso pioneer, Allen Blacker. For the Texas Centennial, she pained Texas Ranger Captain, John Hughes in 1936. She also painted a portrait of Bishop Sidney Metzger. She published a portrait of ” young Mexican girl” in Mexico Magazine in 1938. The actual painting once hung at Paso Del Norte. Leola left El Paso in 1970 and died in 1989.
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Mattie Primrose Dillard was born in Nogales, Arizona, a mining town. She came to El Paso working for El Paso County Tax Assessor, George Huffman. She married Milton St. John Graves who oversaw a water irrigation system for the Franklin Canal. This system stretched from El Paso to Fabens. It was purchased by the U.S. Reclamation Services. Mattie paid the first payment for the construction of the Elephant Butte Dam.
The Graves bought a farm that was 1 mile north of Ysleta in 1906. The graves named their 30 acres farm “El Nido.” There they farmed 15 acres of pears, 17 acres of alfalfa and 1 acre of roses. Mattie became a prominent rose grower in El Paso. Mattie raised 30 varies of roses.
In 1922 Mattie won blue ribbons at the El Paso Flower show. Graves presented a floral arrangement that included 12 varieties of roses that were presented at the International Soil Products Exposition held in El Paso, this won her a blue ribbon. Graves won numerous awards not just for her roses but for her painting. Graves painted famous El Paso landmarks like the Old Ysleta Mission and the Old Stone Courthouse at Ysleta. She held an art show exhibiting her painting at the Ysleta Women’s Club Community Center in 1935. Other paintings exhibited included paintings of the old Fort Bliss and of Billy the Kid. In 1962, she had one a man show at the Maud Sullivan Gallery at the El Paso Main Library. Graves also painted landscapes.
Graves served as president of the Ysleta Women’s club and came up with a jam she made out of the pedals of an American Beauty Rose.
Image courtesy of UTEP Library Special Collections
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Jan Herring lived in Clint. she was married to farmer Henry Herring . She ran a art studio in Cloudcroft and in the summer she taught art classes to art students. She started painting in 1952 and her work included acrylic, oil, tapestry, sculpture, and copper enamels. She also wrote two art books on painting.
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Vada Gilleland started painting at after she retried as principal at North Loop in 1964. She studied art with Ray Lopez-Aleman and Carl Cogar. She painted landscapes and exhibited her work regularly at Toad Crafters which was in Fox Plaza Shopping Center.
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Nance Cheek was a well known El Pason abstract painter. She trained under some other El Paso women painters including Dorthy Archer,Winn Korf, and Vera Wise. She exhibited in the 1972, Grand Prix in Deauville,France. Her first exhibit was in 1968.
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Kate Krause Ball was a pioneering and prominent artist who was inspired by the southwest and also ancient biblical and Asian calligraphy.
Photo Credit: El Paso Historical Society.
-Joseph Longo