Ernest Blumenschein

Perspectivves from The Artist's Road

Superstition Ernest Blumenschein *

We have written about the artists known as the Taos Six. They were an amazingly well-trained and talented bunch, but perhaps the most multi-talented one was Ernest Blumenschein. We wanted to share a bit of his story with you.

Blumenschein (1874 - 1960) was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Upon his mother’s death four years later, he and his father moved to Dayton, Ohio. His father was a musician, composer and the director of the Dayton Philharmonic. Young Ernest grew up surrounded by and playing music himself. Even though he showed an interest in art, his father pushed him in the direction of music, hoping that he would become a professional musician like himself. After graduating from high school, the tremendously talented Ernest accepted a music scholarship in violin at the Cincinnati College of Music.

While in Cincinnati and free from his father’s oversight, Blumenschein decided to explore his interest in art by …