The Natchitoches enterprise., 1921-05-26
Summer Art Colony Planned
In Louisiana
Natchitoches Girls, Graduates of New
comb, Advance Idea and Take First
Steps-Artists Praise Scenery
and Resources,
BY NATALIE VIVIAN SCOTT

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Why not an artists colony in Louis
lana? This is the question that is be-
ing propounded by two enterprising
young women of Natchitoches.
Dozens of places in the North and
East. few if any of which can surpass
in scenery the beatty of Louisiana land
scapes, and the mind of the average
person leaps Immediately to the men,
DRY of a canvas seen somewhere,
picturing a strip of beach and long
swells of the sea; or of rocks jutting
out into wild ocean. Or they will
recollect a haunting picture of New
England colonial house, in the MOON
light perhaps.
If not the actual canvases come into
mental vision, at least, some repro
duction of them, photographed for a
magazine. Then, there is Shinniecock,
on Long Island, where Chase had his
school; lnswich, Coscoh, Ogonquit.-
Maine, Vermont, New York, Pennsyl-
vania, each has It's artists Mecca.
Artists gather there, and catch onto
canvas the individuality and charm of
the place, usually under the direction
of some especially able master Of his
craft; the place becomes more and
more widely known and attracts artists
from far away, as though there were
some particular virtue in the place it.
self. Here, meanwhile, is Louisiana.
which is not to be surpassed in the
natural beauty of its scenery, varied
and yet distinctive in its character.
ARTISTS PRAISE ADVANTAGES
"A natural resource exceedingly rich
and quite undeyeloped, is the opinion
of MISS Sompayrac and Miss GLADYS
Breazeale of Natchitoches. They are
graduates of the Art School of New
comb College, and Miss Sompayrac has
won in short time q prominent place
for herself, in charge of the artistic
end Of the advertising work of large
Shreveport business house. Mr.. Els
worth Woodward. who may safely be
named the dean of New orleans ar
lists, IS of the same opinion.
Art" says Mr.. Woodward, like
'harity, should begin at home. Every
week finds stream of young artists
rom the South making their wav to
he North and East for their inspira-
ion. They leave the scenes that they
Understood and are best fitted to in
erpret in their art to go to unfamiliar
Genes, in strong environment. Of
en- they endure tremendous financial
train to do this, when close at hand.
'ithin stones throw is scenery of d
quail beauty, which they know and 4
ppreciate, and which has gone almost
ntirely unchronicled, as far as artists t
O." v
PLAN FOR NATcHIrocHEs a
Misses Breazeale and .Sompayrac are b.
'orking on plan to bring together a .,
roup of artits from Louisiana and =
ON Texas, for part of the summer y
NatchitOches, which is as well fitted II
erhaps as any other town in the state d,
r such venture: 1t is the third
dest town in the United States. and
!e town itself has some fine old houses az
unusual beauty of architecture. !;
hlch would make it quite a match for al
rovincetown and other New England N
nters whose old houses have Been M
e inspiration of some very fine can. m
'ses. The Cane River. a small, shin pa
g, twisting serrent of river, takes
tranquil way by the town, curling ca
ID twlnlng almost back upon itself. on
tn high, steep banks, sometimes en-
,ar. more often overhung with trees no
d shrubbery. Out in the country are M
e plantation homes, with quiet. old. fse'
shioned gardens. There are riean. on
veterans Of cottonwood tssas, be