Anna Althea Hills

Anna Hills
Born Anna Althea Hills
January 28, 1882(1882-01-28)
Ravenna, Ohio
Died June 13, 1930(1930-06-13) (aged 48)
Laguna Beach, California
Occupation Painter
Known for Impressionist landscapes
Founding of the Laguna Beach Art Museum

Anna Althea Hills (January 28, 1882-June 13, 1930) was an American plein air painter who specialized in impressionist landscapes of the Southern California coast.[1]

Hills attended Olivet College, the Art Institute of Chicago and the Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art in New York City. After her schooling, she worked for Arthur Wesley Dow. Hills traveled in Holland and England, attended the Academie Julian and studied with John Noble Barlow. After returning to the United States, Hills traveled to the west coast and she switched from interior figures to impressionist landscapes. Hills settled in Laguna Beach, California where she opened a studio and taught.[2]

Besides her painting, Hills was known for community activism. She was involved with the Presbyterian church and ran the Sunday school.[3] For six years, she was president of the Laguna Beach Art Association. As president, it was Hills' strong advocacy that led to founding the Laguna Beach Art Museum in Laguna Beach, California in 1929.[4]

Awards

References

  1. ^ Westphal, Ruth Lily; DeLapp, Terry (October 1982). Plein air painters of California, the southland. Derus Fine Art Books. pp. 144–148. ISBN 978-0961052003. 
  2. ^ Stern, Jean (2002). Master of Light: Plein-Air Painting in California 1890-1930. Irvine Museum. 
  3. ^ Trenton, Patricia (November 27, 1995). Independent Spirits: women painters of the American Sest, 1890-1945. University of California Press. p. 68. ISBN 978-0520202030. 
  4. ^ Bond, Ralph C. (April 1989). "Discovering California's Impressionists". Orange Coast Magazine: 192–193.