Fremont F. Ellis (New Mexico / California, 1897-1985), view of man with pack mule entering church grounds, mixed media on paper, signed lower left

sight: 6 x 8 in., frame: 12 x 14 in.

Provenance: Property from the Terrell Hills, Texas estate of distinguished civic leader and philanthropist Diana Destine Sandefer Denman (1934-2025)

The son of a traveling dentist, Fremont Ellis was a largely self-taught painter who became an important figure in the New Mexico art community and helped found "Los Cinco Pintores", a circle of Santa Fe painters who were the origins of the Canyon Road gallery scene. Although Ellis briefly studied optometry (and for a stint at the Art Students League in New York), he eventually settled in Santa Fe and focused on art and photography. He often used photographs to plan his compositions. Ellis exhibited widely in Santa Fe and Los Angeles, and his work is included in the collections of UCLA, the Museum of New Mexico, the Thomas Gilcrease Institute of American History, among other museums.