Ella Marie Koepke Mewhinney was born in Austin County and raised in Williamson County. She studied with Mary Bishop at Texas Presbyterian College, with Kathryn Cherry, Frank Phoenix in St. Louis, George Bridgman, Randall Davey, and Robert Reid. She married in 1913 and kept a home in the small town of Holland, very near her childhood home. Her wealthy husband’s income allowed her the luxury to travel the world to paint and study.  She studied at the Art Students League in New York, in Chicago and at the Broadmoor Art Academy in Colorado Springs. She was a member of the New Orleans Art Association, Southern States Art League, Texas Fine Arts Association, American Artist Professional League and American Federation of Arts. Her art was exhibited regularly and won prizes in prestigious shows i.e., Davis Wildflower Competition 1928, All Southern Exhibition, Nashville 1927, Waco Cotton Palace 1927, Southern States Art League 1928 and 1937. Her painting at the Century of Progress Exposition in 1933 and was the center piece for the Texas exhibit.  Talented in oils, watercolors, and pastels her landscapes and florals are painted in a unique and distinctive style that has enchanted both critics and collectors.