Elmira "Ellie" Wheeler (Texas, 1883-1959), landscape with blooming prickly pear cactus, oil on canvas laid to panel, signed lower right

sight: 20 x 26 in., frame: 26 x 32 in.

Provenance: Property from a home in San Antonio, Texas

Elmira Francine Wheeler was a Texas painter and printmaker who worked in watercolor, pastel, sculpture, and graphic arts. Born in Boston and raised in Texas, she began painting at a young age and was encouraged by mentor Ed Meyers, but she did not pursue an active art career until after raising her family. She studied with several well-known artists, including José Arpa, Xavier Gonzalez, Dawson Dawson-Watson, Charles Rosen, and Harry Anthony de Young, and also trained with Simon Michael at the Rockport School of Art. Her style focused on Texas landscapes and wildflowers, often painted in watercolor with careful attention to color and natural detail. Wheeler exhibited at the San Antonio Art League (1926), the San Antonio Artists Guild (1927), the Edgar B. Davis Competition (1927), and the José Arpa Student Exhibition (1928). She was a member of the Texas Fine Arts Association and the San Antonio Artists Guild and also taught private art lessons.