Sometimes I feel like pulling my hair out and today would be a good example. I was browsing through my favorite thrift store (Goodwill – Las Vegas), looking for small treasures for still life paintings and some used frames that would have some good life left in them. And I ran across this …
I loved it as soon as I saw it and had to have it. Where does the hair pulling part come in? It comes from wondering who painted it. It is signed “COLE” in the bottom right of the painting. That’s all. Nothing on the back. Nothing on the edges of the canvas. Nothing.
So, you would think in this day and time that finding out about this artist with Google would work. Not a chance. Do you know how many artists there are with the name Cole on the internet? Could it be a Thomas Cole? That would be nice, but no, this isn’t the way he signed his paintings.
I searched through about one hundred different artist websites and pages looking for this Cole and didn’t find anything that would say I had found my artist.
So, I have a really nice landscape painting by Cole. That’s all I know. If you happen to know any more than this I would love to hear from you.
The Daily Painter 
I got one too. Same scenario, Thrift store, nice painting, signature in lower right corner simply “Cole” After a few hours of scouring the web I finally ended up here. LOL
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A friend gave me one today. Exact same signature. The canvas and frame both look fairly new. I just started researching and also ended up here lol
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I went to a thrift store and got the same exact signature on one also.
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I just brought one home too! Guy really should sign his paintings better as he's really good 😉 My signature is not nearly as slopply done as the one pictured but it's quite similar. Mine is much larger and of a building and a water wheel. Beautiful painting color wise of a sun set. Has a Hudson Valley look to it but yeah, doesn't have a “Thomas Cole” signature 😦
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It sounds like the same painting I have.
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Definitely not a Thomas Cole, and not his signature.
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My great grandmother taught art in the 60's/70's. She passed away a few years ago, and I had inherited some of her paintings & random ones from her collection.
Everytime I look at this one landscape, I really like it. I finally decided to look up the artist, and BAM here I am on your blog. Same signature, similar story.
Maybe we should have a mystery artist gallery showing. We all get our paintings together and see if this guy shows. lol
If anyone ever finds anything out let me know ryanfrizzell@yahoo.com
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I have one too it’s a ice mountain painting that has the same signature on the side my uncle bought it in a garage sale 20 years ago can someone tell me if they found who the artist is? I would love to know.
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Lol. Same here! Showed up at our thrift store, but absolutely beautiful. At least I’m not alone in the 2020 find now.
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Same here, got mine at a swap meet in 2020. Location is Woodlake Ca. It’s a beautiful painting of a lake with snowy mountains on the back.
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I have one also. It might help if we knew what area of the country we found our paintings. Mine was found in a thrift store in Portland, Oregon.
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Salvation Army in Phoenix AZ in 2003.
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I bought today I think the same as Manda Kay described. Thrift store. Sacramento CA. On back side is a stamped tag: 24×36 $37
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Yup. Got a beautiful sunrise landscape cabin painting. This one was given to us by my sister-in-law's mom and has been hanging in her home of 60 years for as long as she (sister-in-law) can remember. It certainly is a mystery. And yes, too bad it's not a Thomas Cole! LOL!
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Forgot to say the area where I got the painting – town outside of Windsor, Ontario Canada. Talk about these paintings being spread out! The painter sure got around!
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ok guys.. count me in.. I found this painting with the same exact signature of Cole on the bottom right in a thrift store in st pete florida…. i have a photo but not sure how to post it
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I have one also of a lake in front of Snow Toped Mountains two Sailboats on the lake Surrounded by Trees and Green Foilage
Houston Texas Purchased from a Garage Sale 5$
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Same here. Cole signature on bottom right corner. Located in anahiem, Ca
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All the paintings with that signature came from artistic interiors Inc they were mass produced in Mexico they sold thousands of them.back in the late 70’s early 80’s they had parties like Tupper ware.
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I have a COLE painting mine is a captain in the clouds looking down on a ship in the sea? Are these worth anything? This canvas was my grandfather who passed away and it was given to me…
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Im afraid i have the same painting i live in Florida been trying too find info on it with no luck
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We just picked one up here in a thrift shop in Alberta yesterday and have been trying to track down who the artist could be. It was framed by a (now out of business) shop in Saskachewan sometime from problably the 1970’s. Ours is quite large (approx 27″ x 38″) and shows a small delapidated cabin in the woods at a river’s edge where it joins a lake. It looks late fall with autumnal trees in yellow and some evergreens in the foreground and very craggy mountains in the distance set against a grey, wintery sky. The signature is nearly identical to the one in the picture posted. It’s definitely an original painting even if it was part of a mass-produced line. If anyone can provide any further definite information on the artist, we would love to know more!
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I think I would have to agree with Melissa on this. Most likely mass produced in some factory somewhere, kind of like the Chinese factory paintings we’re seeing nowadays. Doesn’t matter to me though. I still love the painting, even if I can’t find out who painted it.
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We agree. We love ours and even if there are 999 others painted with the same depiction, no two are exactly the same so in their own right are unique. And just because something is mass produced doesn’t mean it doesn’t have or take on value at some point later on. More and more people are desiring things of some particular nostalgic element or another. Either way, it brightens up our den and we still feel like we found a hidden treasure.
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I bought one too a couple of years ago on Ebay. It is stunning and quite large. the only thing i was told was that it hung in a Dr.’s home for a very long time. I love it. I am in Pittsburgh, PA
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Has anyone left any pictures anywhere of their paintings? I just bought one today in Crossville, TN
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They are sold at the starving artists show that are held all over the country and most likely are mass produced.
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My dad was born in 1922 and he said he remembers our COLE painting as a kid. It’s hard to believe no one knows who COLE is.
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Cole paintings are original and very well done. All his art uses the same technique and have similarities. George Whitman who is currently a professor of art also mass painted similar scenes of whimsical landscapes and is an extremely talented artist. A lot of G. Whitman’s works have been sold by departments and various art shops in the 70s. George Whitman is listed and information is available. However we need a first name for Cole. I am an art collector and I can say that my large Cole painting is worth more to my eyes than some of the paintings in the thousands of $$$ that I own. The blend of colors used to depict the natural scenes are beautiful!
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I also purchased one at a thrift store in Decatur Alabama, but mine seems to be much smaller. It’s 8×10 in size with a few trees in front of older looking buildings with snow capped mountains in the background.
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This is quite funny, my parents bought a big Cole painting in the mid 80’s but from a market place in Finland!! 😀 It seems that all the posts are from the US, so this is confusing! 🙂 I tried to put a link to our painting to the website part.
I also though that I’d look for some information about this artist Cole and I got into this site… 🙂
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I picked one up a few years back, a larg one cabin by the stream beautiful trees all day long the painting changes with shadows, the artist is deffinately very very tallented
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Jason again, my cole painting is a view of the mystery painting but from farther left, looking down the stream with a cabin on the right bank, same two trees on the right and the one on the left, my painting is deffinately an old one
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In keeping with all of the other “mystery” artist Cole paintings, I picked one up today as well at, you guessed it, a thrift store. A large landscape painting of tall cedars, a winding river opening up to a lake and mountains. Very beautiful. Didn’t buy it for anything more than the fact that I simply loved the painting.
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I have one too! Garage sale $5
No idea who the artist is so I’ve commissioned a gallery to find out for ne.
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I bought an oil painting, 1990 @ a store going out of business . Painting was $ 400.00 , got it for $75.00 plus framing. Signed { COLE } bottom right corner.Beautiful lake in background ,misty morning ,maybe fall ,small water falls , cabin toward the middle right , green pines . on both sides of the falls. Looking for painter .
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I have one exactly the same and live in Perth Western Australia
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I found a small COLE at Goodwill in SE Portland, OR. It’s the stream with trees on the shore. Mine is 5 x 7 and on PRESSBOARD! Old fashion frame.
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I have a “CoLe painting signature is different in the right hand corner of the painting. I love it and it is an identical painting to your scenery but painted in the winter with snow. Looks like the exact spot that were the summer painting was painted. I bought it in a restaurant in Revere Beach that has been torned down now back in 1976. I too was looking to see if this “Cole” was famous because I love this painting so much but it brought me to this site. Hope my artist finds this blog.
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I have a Cole also. Picture of 2 mallard ducks flying over a snowy Lake with a snowy forest in the background. Most beautiful picture in my home. I got it for free.
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Same here. Cole signature on bottom right corner. Located in Youngstown, Ohio
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I just acquired a large 40 x 29 painting by Cole. Trees with sun and stream with a water wheel and cabin signed COLE lower right. Bought at auction
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I can say that I’m a proud member of the COLE bunch, bought mine in Harlan, KY!
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Sorry, I forgot for a minute, I actually bought mine on eBay, I live in Harlan, KY. My painting is an actual oil painting, you can see and feel the brush strokes in it. The signature COLE is on the left side of the painting which is stretched canvas on a frame. Any one else have one like this?
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The signature in mine is in the left side too
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The signature on my Cole painting is on the right if I am facing the painting. It is an actual painting and at the bank at the bottom and about the center is a red X. I purchased mine from a couple in a moving sale for $10.00 in Nelson, BC, Canada.
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i too have a large approximately 27×38 “COLE” lrh corner . a path with pond/stream and large leaning trees on either side, a field, distant trees and clouded blue sky in background . Arklatex region thrift shop find I have enjoyed many years.and like most this is the closest I’ve come to answers.lol
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My grandmother got it for free from a friend having a yard sale in southern Florida. About 30 years ago. Currently in nj. Beautiful hand carved wooden frame. Sunset in the woods, a river and a building with a water wheel. Signed COLE bottom right.
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Lol, I also have a large “COLE” signed painting, same signature in bottom right hand corner. Strong brush strikes, trees on both side, huge craft mountain and sky. Got it from a church rummage sale in Washington state, framing looks old.
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This is so interesting, I googled COLE artist and ended up here! I also have the one with the leaning pine trees with stream and cabin in the back right, looks like Fall with the leaves turning. Signed CoLe in the right corner! Beautiful picture that most people guess as a painter of light, Thomas Kinkade! I love mysteries and really would love to know who the artist is! A thrift store find from Jasper, Ind.
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I agree. The highlights look like “painting light! Mine is cactus and rock formations.
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I TOO HAVE A VERY BEAUTIFUL LANDSCAPE MONTAIN CABIN IN OIL PAINT. IT HAS THE SAME SIGNATURE IN THE BOTTOM RIGHT “COLE”. IT IS APPROXIMATELY 24″ X 36″. I FOUND MY PAINTING AT A YARD SALE. CALIFORNIA, MISSOURI.
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Snowy background, trees with a river and a cabin. Oil painted and you can see the actual brush strokes. Located in Toronto Ontario, anyone else have one of these? Dimensions are about a meter long, around 50cm of height.
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My husband found a painting for me at the local Goodwill the other day. Same thing signed COLE. Mine is a picture of Utah or something with cactuses. I’ve searched Cole cactus oil painting and I found a couple of them that are similar to The one my husband brought home. Not sure if it’s just a very good copy that someone painted or if it’s actually ecole. Whoever he may be lol.
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Mine has a seguaro cactus and two barrel cactus and two rock formations. Beautiful colors. Probably 8 by 10 oil on canvas. Purchased at Salvation Army in Phoenix AZ in 2003 for $5.
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On our search for old picture frames , my husband found this COLE signed oil,painting. Snow covered mountains, green fir trees and a white cabin. Found in thrift store in St Catharines, ON, Canada
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I have a Cole painting as well. I purchased it in a thrift shop in Phoenix Arizona in 2003. It is a western landscape with a beautifully highlighted cactus. Beautiful colors! One day I’ll get on Antiques Roadshow and solve this mystery!
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My aunt bought one from a garage sale. It has the same signature and painting style. From Montreal, Canada
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I found one in an antique store. Mountains, lake, cabin and trees signed COLE also.
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Wow I’ve got one as well…its of small mill with a watereheel. I looked at it with a microscope and if it wasnt painted by a human hand, then we’ll never know an original from a fake. Are these worth anything? Certainty a nice oil.
..
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Well Brian, I would say that the worth is what they are worth to us. I still love mine hanging on the wall, I still look at it, so it’s worth that much to me.
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Hi Linda
Is your COLE painting a large painting all in blue and white, winter scene with mountains as well?
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I live in British Columbia and purchased my beautiful COLE oil painting from a couple who were moving and selling household items. I Paid $10.00. My painting is 48×24 and is a beautiful winter scene of mountains,lake, Fir trees and cabin with white fence. The whole picture is painted in white and blue shades with the exception of a little red mark ( almost looks like an x) on one of the little banks. Signed COLE in right hand corner. You can feel all the paint strokes etc. In this painting. Please keep me posted if anyone finds out who COLE is. I was directed to this site by an artist in British Columbia, Canada who was searching this for me. Love this Gorgeous painting.
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I found mine at a thrift store in Fernandina Beach, Florda. It is either a early morning sunrise or late afternoon sunset on canvas 24″ X 36″. I was impressed with the reflected light off of a pool in the foreground and off of the tree trunks surrounding the pool. This painting is deep orange on the periphery, with tall tropical trees and then transitions to bright yellow and white in the center with the sun and its reflections. I like it. The signature “COLE” is shown on the bottom right in white.
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I too have a mountain snow all misty in background. At the t. cole art museum they have all his paintings there are several with different cabins. Anyway I did a google image search and they found none that matched mine. My freind bought in England. I got this in the early nineties..If its a forgery its a really good one. I am hoping its a lost painting. thats no one has seen
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No, there are a lot of us with beautiful paintings by Cole. I found mine at a thrift store in Phoenix Arizona in 2003.
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I also have a Cole painting. I found it in a swap meet in Woodlake, Ca. It’s a lake with firs on the sides and snowy mountains in the distance on the back.
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