Dr. Robert M. Cole

Robert M. Cole was born and educated in Tarrytown, NY. He completed his postgraduate education with degrees at Columbia College, and began a career in dentistry during World War II.  

An Eagle Scout, “Doc Cole” loved the natural world and all outdoor activities.  He was an avid horticulturalist and orchid enthusiast, and served as president of the Westchester, NY Men’s Garden Club. He built a home greenhouse, and received prizes in many shows including the New York International Show.  He lectured and traveled extensively on horticultural trips to the British Isles, South Africa, Japan, Swiss Alps, Pyrenees and much of the United States.

A longtime resident of Silver Bay, NY on Lake George, Cole enjoyed a vigorous outdoor life that included sailing and hiking. He raced his Thistle class sailboat on Lake George for over four decades.  The sailboat sported the same monogram as many of his artworks - "Eloc", his name in reverse.

Cole helped establish the Nature Center at the Silver Bay YMCA conference resort and furnished mounted bird collections to the Silver Bay Association and the Warner Library in Tarrytown. He served as President of the Hague Historical Society, and was a well-known figure along the shores of Northern Lake George. 

Cole’s watercolors express his passion for the outdoors, and especially his beloved Lake George.  His pictures capture the sublime beauty of brilliant blue waters and summer greenery, the quiet solitude of a stroll taken along a Silver Bay walkway, and the deep earthen tones of a lush mountain streambed.  His quick hand, mid-range palette and understanding of negative space infuse these paintings with a total awareness of the surroundings.  From a ripple in the lake to a cold cloud moving into the mountains on a brisk spring day, we sense Cole has been there.