A native of Detroit, Michigan, Pohl studied at Detroit Museum of Art, the Academie Julian in Paris, as well as in New York City, Munich, Rome and Amsterdam.
Following his studies, he worked in Chicago for a year and a half on the Harvester murals. In 1918, he headed out to tour the West , purchasing a ranch in the Colorado Rockies. He painted mountain landscapes as well as landscapes and Native peoples of Arizona and New Mexico before traveling to California. He then served as the director of the Art League of Washington and worked in France.
The artist eventually settled in Texas where he was a member of the San Antonio Art Colony.