“The marriage of Ms. Margaret I. McCorkindale and Mr. Fred McCann was solemnized at the home of the bride’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. L. (Laughlin) McCorkindale at the early hour of 4 a.m. Wednesday morning. They left immediately on “The Owl” for a short wedding trip to Seattle and other (Puget) Sound cities.” From the wedding announcement of Fred and Isabel McCann as printed in the Marysville Globe.

And so began the joyful marriage and a new chapter in the life of artist Isabel “Belle” McCann. Born on November 3, 1888 in Cloquet Minnesota, Belle’s family headed out west, ending up in Marysville, Washington, where she grew up, spending great amounts of her time at the water. In later years, after she and Fred McCann married, the couple spent entire summers at Mission Beach on the Tulalip Reservation with their extended family, swimming, visiting, sunbathing in their cabin with the retractable roof, and, she, of course, painted. The influence of Puget Sound and the industries that grew up around it is a common thread that weaves through many of Belle’s works.

Belle’s favored media were oils and watercolors, although she also produced some wood block prints. Over the years, she studied her craft with Leon Derbyshire, Edgar Forkner, Peter Camfferman and G.E. Brown. Belle made several trips to Cape Cod for painting classes, taking her young family with her. Over the years, her works were exhibited at the Western Washington Fair, Frederick and Nelson in Seattle, the Little Gallery in Seattle, and the Seattle Art Museum. She joined the Women Painters of Washington in 1940.

Many of her works are displayed in her most ardent fans’ homes—those of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. A recent piece—the oil of the ships displayed on this page, was found by a family friend in a gallery on the east coast and was purchased and given to Belle’s great-granddaughter as a gift last year. The family is thrilled to have this piece back after its roughly 60-year journey across the continent.

We are thankful to Ms. McCann's great-grandaughter, Catherine McCann, for providing the text and images for this biography.

 

Isabel McCann - Title Unknown