Bluebonnets of Helotes, oil on canvas, 16 x 20, signed lower left: Berla, Emeree’s artistic pursuits began in her teenage years, during which she practiced china painting and watercolor landscapes, and won a number of competitions. She studied in Philadelphia, San Antonio, and throughout Europe, including England, France, Germany, and Belgium, and exhibited artwork in Paris. In 1924, Emeree toured Texas and Arizona by herself, living out of her car and painting landscapes on-site for months straight. She covered her car in her paintings, and traded work for gas and oil. Returning to El Paso, Emeree continued bartering paintings to pay for the construction of her home and studio. She established the Emeree Scenic Drive Art School, later renamed the Berla Ione Emeree School of Painting. This textural landscape of bluebonnets was painted in Helotes, just outside of San Antonio.