Fleischer Museum
American Collection of Impressionism
The California School

One of the founding members of the Laguna Beach Art Association, Anna Hills studied at the Art Institute of Chicago and the Cooper Union Art School in New York. She travelled widely in Europe, painting in England, France and Holland. Upon her return to the United States, she lived in Los Angeles briefly before moving to Laguna Beach in 1913. Her dedicated and tireless efforts at organization made her a leader of the important Laguna Beach School, serving as president of the association from 1922 to 1925, and again from 1927 to 1930. Her community interests also led to several group exhibitions, lectures and a long career as a teacher in Laguna Beach. The Old Ranch, 24"x20" O/C Hills was a close friend and painting partner to several important California painters, including George Brandriff and Edgar Payne. Her distinctive style was essentially a bright Impressionistic approach, full of small patches of pure color, modified by the use of a small palette knife to flatten the surface. In THE OLD RANCH, she alters the horizon line and draws the viewer's attention to the brilliant effect of color and light on the surface of the pond in the foreground. The use of a large area of rippling water, with small patches of color reflecting the sky, trees and buildings, was a favorite device among the French Impressionists, and when successfully employed, added greatly to the overall brilliance of the work.