Dorothy Spangler was born in St. Louis, Missouri, but it was growing up in Northern California that inspired her ongoing love affair with light and color that so influences her artwork. Spangler graduated from the College of San Mateo with an art major and soon afterward, began studying under the tutelage of famous California Plein-Air painter William Ward. 

One of Spangler's true artistic inspirations is the rich scenery of Europe, and she makes annual trips to visit her favorite spots in Paris, Southern France, and Italy. Spangler's paintings of European-inspired scenes have helped to launch her illustrious career, and her works have been showcased in 34 one-woman shows in both the United States and Europe, and she is listed in the archives of the National Museum of Women in the Arts, in Washington, D.C.