Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1920-11-22
indianapolis Art
Pioneer Keeps Young
in Her Chosen Work
Mrs. COffn's Studio Contains
. No Satin PiIIoU Top Designs,
but Bridge Sets Are There.
BY MABEL WHEELER.

With visions OF lavendar ana oIo iace,
painted silk tides. charcoal sketches and
wax flowers under glass cases, In the
midst Of which sat a frai, snowy
haired old lady painting pink roses on
satin pillow tops, floating through my
head. stood tapping at the door OF
Mrs. Anne Coffin's apartment the other
day. Having been told that she was
over eighty years old and is still keep
ing up her art work, I was calling.
An elderly. gray haired, alert woman
responded to my knock
rs Mrs. Coffin i'm said 1.
81 am Mrs. Coffin" she answered.
"Oh, it's the older Mrs. Conin l wish
to see," said /, 1.-The one that paints
you know"
She insisted she was all Of that, over
so, and working with colors when / in
terrupted her.
ENERGETIC, MUCH
ALIVE PERSON.
She was no frail old lady living In the
ashes Of q dead past. She was the most
up-to-date. energetic, live person that
ever welded q paint brush.
y She showed me her studio. and / looked
in vain for the satin pillow tops. In
stead she was painting very unique set
of numbers for bridge tables. She buys
the plain tin numbers at the shops, then
enamels them and adorns them with cum
ming conventional flowers in colors to
match madame's bridge cover eolors.
She had no designs and no patterns
and each set was in a different design,
fashioned after her own ideas.
81 love to work on these" she said, for
I do enjoy doing new things. That tray
there, I made for my daughter, and am
crazy about it,
She pointed to a black lacquered tray
with a brilliant conventional cockstoo
painted on it, which had caught my eye
as l entered. Beside It was a dainty
candy box cIeyerly enameled and painted
IN quaint design. Sketchy little water
color landscapes hung here and there,
and an iridescent, graceful vase stood
on the old-fashioned carved table. No
where could l find a trace Of my silk
doIlies or satin pillow tops. This brisk,
up-to-date person was "keeping up with
Lizzie" in ar
Mrs. Coffin owned the first china paint
ing kiln in Indianapolis. and In the long
ago painted china extensively. She at
tended the first art school ever opened IN
Indianapolis and although she had al
ways painted since child, copying va
rious portraits and pitcures. she had
ACNCI pdAuNCU AEOA AAC until NASh- GAN
advanced rapidly and later carried on
prizes and honors at the State Fair and
various local exhibits.
GRAPES HUNG
POINTING sKYWARD.
Il remember one year at the fair" she
said, laughing at the memory, when one
Of my pictures g fruit picture contain
ing a huge bunch of grapes. was hung
upside down with the grapes pointing
skyward. The judges in those times had
rare ideas OF art.
Il do not paint china to any great ex-
tent nowadays, for styles have changed.
the natura 'istic is a dead letter almost
and 1t would take me so long to accumu-
late all the conventional designs neces-
sary, that / do not do a lot with it. Ny
daughter has 4 set Of imported plates
with a conventional gold design on them.
that I matched for her not long ago, and
she says she can not tell the difference
between the home decorated and the for
eign horn china"
Another up-to-date clever piece Of work
that she is doing is an oil cloth breakfast
set. which is the latest scream In house
keeping accessories. She has made sew
eral sets in original colorful designs.
II have done q little In the Batik ana
I am thinking Of trying this tried and
Dyed work ! do like to try every
thing whether I go any farther or not"
she said. in answer to my query.
Noting my establishment, she laughed
and said: "Oh, I am living today. liv-
ing every minute. I play a little bridge.
dabble around in futurist art, even have
been guilty Of trying a few jazz steps.
I may be getting old but am not being
old"
Mrs Coffin for several years was
member Of the Keramic Club and various
!. art orgs nizations. She was considered
a connoisseur on china painting. although
she did not do general teaching. She
is one Of what might be termed @Hoo-
sier art pioneers"