DOEL  REED  (1895-1985)
 

    Doel Reed was born in Logansport, Indiana and raised in Indianapolis. His original studies were architecture but in 1916 his interest in fine arts led him to enroll in the Cincinnati Art Academy. His studies were interrupted the following year when he went to France to serve in World War I. He was temporarily blinded when he was gassed and spent several months in a base hospital in France. When he recovered he returned to the Art Academy for another year studying with James R. Hopkins, H.H.Wessel and L.H. Meakin. It was under Meakin that Doel Reed had his only formal training in the graphic arts. The schools for graphic arts were few so it was left to Reed to study the aquatints of Francisco Goya and fellow artist in order to teach himself through trial and error the art of printmaking. In 1952, Reed was elected to membership in the National Academy of Design for graphic arts and was considered to be a premier printmaker.

    In addition to printmaking, Doel Reed worked in casein and oils and produced many mixed media and charcoal drawings. In 1924 he began a thirty five year teaching career as the head of the art department at Oklahoma State University. He took a leave of absence from 1926-1930 to study in France. Beginning in the 1940’s he began to spend summers with his family in Taos, New Mexico and when he retired he moved there permanently.

   Doel Reed’s aquatints are in many notable museum collections throughout the United States and Europe. He hand pulled all his prints on a small press made by his students. His subjects were the Spanish culture of the valley, adobes, graveyards and rugged landscapes rather that the Pueblo Indians that so many of the artist of Taos painted.