Texas Elma Harvey ‘Exa’ Wall was born in Dungeness, Washington in 1898. Her mother was from a pioneer Texas family, and Exa grew up in Nixon and Gonzales, Texas. She is considered a self-taught artist, although she did study at the Witte Museum School of Art with east coast artist Charles Rosen.

She was also a student of Dawson Dawson-Watson. His influence is visible in her landscape paintings, especially her depictions of cactus. Wall was a public school teacher in Hallettsville, Texas in the 1920s. She did not devote herself to painting full time until 1963. Wall had many solo shows in galleries and received many prizes in exhibitions throughout San Antonio in the 1950s, 60s, and 70s.

Wall died in San Antonio in 1998.

Although Wall occasionally painted in other states and in Mexico, she is best known for her Texas landscapes. She was a member of the San Antonio Art League, the San Antonio River Art Group and the Texas Fine Arts Society, Houston. Her works can be found in the permanent collections of the Witte Museum in San Antonio and the University of Texas at San Antonio.

San Antonio painter Exa Wall is well remembered as a leading Texas landscape and cactus painter. She was a student of Dawson Dawson-Watson and his influence and talent is visible in her paintings, especially her depictions of cactus. Her works can be found in the collection of the Witte Museum in San Antonio.