Born in Virginia City, Montana, Fremont Ellis earned a reputation as a New Mexico painter of site-specific landscapes that conveyed his intense feelings for the rich coloration of the Southwest. He was much influenced by American Impressionism and was one of the few newcomer artists of Santa Fe who had been born in the West.

His family had gone to Montana during the Gold Rush, and his father, trained as a dentist, went into theatrical work. As a youngster, Ellis played the drums in his father's movie theatre. The family traveled all over the county, and the future artist spent much time in the Metropolitan Museum in New York. He briefly attended the Art Students League, but decided to return West to the la...