Gisella Loeffler
1902 - 1977 Taos, New Mexico
Having seen a local exhibition of paintings by Taos artists Oscar Berninghaus and Ernest Blumenschein, Gisella felt drawn to Taos, which reminded her of the villages of her native Austria. In 1933 the single mother with two daughters, Undine and Aithra, moved to Taos, where she lived off and on for the rest of her life.
In 1938 Gisella moved briefly to Los Griegos, north of Albuquerque, to be closer to medical facilities for her eldest daughter, who was suffering from rheumatic fever. Two years later, she moved to California to participate in the war effort, painting camouflage and decals on airplanes for Lockheed.
In California, Gisella broadened her range of artistic pursuits. She taught art privately, created illustrations for Scripts Magazine, and did interior design for private homes. She also designed greeting cards, a practice she continued after her return to New Mexico.
Gisella began illustrating children’s books in 1941 when she collaborated on Franzi and Gizi with author Margery Bianco. Eventually she wrote and illustrated her own book, El Ekeko, in 1964. She also designed ceramics—her Happy Time Dinnerware, marketed by Poppy Trail and manufactured by Metlox of Manhattan Beach, CA.
In 1948 Taos art patron Mabel Dodge Luhan persuaded Gisella and her new husband Frank Chase to return to Taos.
Throughout her life, Gisella corresponded regularly with her many friends. Typically her letters were illustrated in crayon or colored pencil with some object or scene from a recent experience. The text of her letters was also written with multiple colors of crayon or colored pencil. A letter from Gisella was always a visual feast.
Person TypeIndividual
Terms
1918 Washington, District of Columbia - 2007 Albuquerque, New Mexico
1912 Macklin, Saskatchewan, Canada - 2004 Taos, New Mexico
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