Ann Courtney Harrell: A Life of Art, Nature, and Community

Updated on: August 4, 2025

Basic Information

Early Life and Education

On December 1, 1934, Ann Courtney Harrell was born into a four-generation Austin family. David Harrell Jr. and Victoria Matthews Harrell, her parents, held local ranchland and mercantile interests since the late 19th century. Ann’s earliest memories combined communal meetings with natural vistas during her childhood on live-oak-lined avenues and the Colorado River. These themes would subsequently appear in her paintings and landscape designs.

She graduated from Pease Elementary and Austin High in 1952. She won honorable honors in 1950 and 1951 at the Austin Public Schools art fair with her first watercolor landscapes in high school. Ann attended Mount Vernon Junior College in Washington, D.C., in 1952 to study art history, figure drawing, and museum curation. From 1952 to 1954, she toured the National Gallery of Art and the Smithsonian American Art Museum, widening her stylistic influences beyond Texas regionalism.

In August 1954, she returned to Austin and enrolled at UT Austin after finishing junior college. She studied painting with Charles Umlauf and Pete Valdez from September 1954 to May 1958. Her April 1958 senior thesis presentation comprised 12 teal and ochre pastels of Barton Creek and Zilker Park.

Artistic and Entrepreneurial Career

Her career began in June 1958 when Ann Swenson Landscaping was founded with her undergraduate classmate Pat Robinson Tyler. The firm executed over 350 residential and civic projects in Travis County over 28 years, averaging 12–15 new contracts. She won government contracts at Oakwood Cemetery and the Ruth Banks Physical Fitness Center garden by combining hardscape elements with native plant palettes and interpreting each site as a “living canvas”.

Parallel to her landscaping practice, Ann maintained a robust exhibition schedule. Between 1960 and 1985, she participated in:

• 14 juried group exhibitions at the Austin Museum of Art
• 8 solo shows at University Galleries
• 5 invitational pastel showcases at the Port Aransas Art League

Her most acclaimed exhibition, “Shadows of the Hill Country” (1972), displayed 20 watercolors of the Texas Hill Country and drew over 2,000 visitors during its month-long run.

After selling her landscaping company part in 1986, Ann focused on studio work and local art education. That year, she began teaching a weekly watercolor workshop at the Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd, where she taught over 200 pupils wet-on-wet washes and plein-air drawing until 2005.

Community Engagement and Leadership

Ann’s dedication to civic life matched her professional pursuits. As an undergraduate, she joined Pi Beta Phi Sorority in September 1955 and served as Arts & Culture Chair for two consecutive academic years (1956–1958), organizing literacy fundraisers that raised over $4,500 for local schools.

She was elected to the Junior League of Austin board in 1974 and served until 1976. She co-chaired the Art & Garden Festival, which raised $12,000 for Contemporary Austin’s educational activities in 1975. Her leadership established the League’s first partnership with Hospice of Austin and professional volunteer training at the Southwest Regional Cancer Center.

Beyond formal roles, Ann was known for impromptu acts of service: delivering floral arrangements to hospitalized neighbors, volunteering as a Sunday school art instructor for 18 years, and hosting annual holiday craft workshops—each attended by 30–50 participants.

Personal Life and Influential Relationships

Ann married future actor Dabney Coleman in June 1957. In 1980s interviews, Coleman attributed Ann’s encouragement with inspiring his commitment to the performing arts, despite the marriage’s 20-month duration (divorce finalized August 1959). Mid-20th-century American visual and performing arts intersected in the brief union.

Ann had many family and friends outside of her marriage. She never had children but mentored nieces and nephews, funding their art and design college educations. She and Pat Tyler co-designed a “cat porch” overlooking her rose garden in 1978, a structure that Oakwood Cemetery walking-tour guides still find intriguing.

Personal Passions and Later Years

Ann’s private interests seamlessly intertwined with her public persona:

• Animal Companionship: Over her lifetime, she cared for 12 rescues—11 domestic shorthair cats and one parakeet—providing each with custom-built perches and feeding stations.
• Travel: From 1963 to 2005, she made annual summer trips to Port Aransas, producing over 60 Gulf-shore seascapes and volunteering in seven beach-cleanup drives.
• Church Involvement: As a member of the Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd for 58 years, she served on the Flower Guild for 22 seasons and taught youth art classes for nearly two decades.

In her final months battling illness at age 71, Ann credited Dr. Ellen Smith, Nurse Jatanna Rodriguez, and Hospice of Austin volunteers for her comfort. Her funeral service was held at Good Shepherd on January 21, 2006, at 10 a.m., followed by interment at Oakwood Cemetery.

Archival Holdings and Ongoing Influence

Although Ann Courtney Harrell Swenson’s personal story concluded in 2006, her imprint remains:

Institutions such as Women & Their Work Gallery—founded in 1978—and the University of Texas Landmarks Program (est. 2008) continue the ethos Ann championed: site-specific creativity and elevation of women’s contributions to Texas art.

FAQ

What were the early influences in Ann Courtney Harrell’s life?

She was shaped by her fourth-generation Austin heritage and exposure to local schools and river-bank recreation, which nurtured her artistic appreciation for nature and community.

How did Ann’s education contribute to her career?

Two years at Mount Vernon Junior College and a B.A. in Painting from the University of Texas equipped her with both East Coast gallery insight and regional artistic techniques.

What impact did her career have on the Austin community?

Her landscaping firm beautified over 350 sites and her exhibitions attracted thousands, enriching Austin’s public spaces and cultural scene.

Can you describe her involvement in community organizations?

As a Pi Beta Phi Arts & Culture Chair and Junior League board member, she organized fundraisers that raised tens of thousands for local arts and literacy programs.

What is the significance of her marriage to Dabney Coleman?

Their 1957–1959 marriage linked visual and performing arts, with Ann’s encouragement later cited by Coleman as pivotal in his acting career.

How is Ann Courtney Harrell’s legacy remembered today?

Her artwork, garden designs, and archival collections at the Austin History Center and local institutions maintain her influence on Texas art and landscape design.

What personal interests defined Ann’s life outside of her professional work?

She was a devoted cat guardian, an avid Port Aransas seascape painter, and a longtime church volunteer teaching art to youth.

References