Harold Spencer was a visual artist, painter, art historian, and professor. He was born in Corning, NY, and attended the University of California, Berkeley (CA), earning his BA and MA, and also received his PhD in art history from Harvard University (MA). He taught art and art history at Blackburn College (IL), Occidental College (Los Angeles, CA), and the University of Connecticut (Storrs, CT). After living in Connecticut for a number of years, Spencer moved back to California in 2002, where he joined the arts cooperative at the Studios on the Park. His work often referenced the natural world, most often worked in oil, encaustic, watercolor, or monotype, and was exhibited nationally. He was also the editor and author of several publications on the history of art.