Valuation Drivers for This Specific Piece:

The Golden Ratio (1:3 Panorama): McElwain's 12" x 36" canvases are intentional, dramatic choices. Rather than standard field sketches, these elongated horizons were specifically used to emphasize the sweeping vastness of the high desert and the violent velocity of Southwest storm cells. 

The 2006 Vintage: The late 2000s mark her most collected, highly resolved period before her passing in 2013. By 2006, her technical execution with masonry trowels and palette knives was incredibly confident, allowing her to structurally build massive, heavy clouds out of pure impasto without losing compositional clarity.

Strong Auction Demand: Her auction market is currently exceptionally healthy. Over 64% of her works at public auction exceed their high estimates, demonstrating a competitive collector base that actively fights for classic New Mexico subject 

matter.

Preserving the Value of Her Impasto

Because this piece dates to 2006 and features her signature thick impasto, its value is closely tied to its structural preservation. Her heavy, rapid application of paint outdoors means these pieces are uniquely vulnerable to tension cracks if exposed to intense climate shifts. Keeping it out of direct sunlight and ensuring it is evaluated by a conservator who understands the structural dynamics of heavy palette-knife paint layers will protect your investment over the long term.

Provenance

One owner.  Mr. & Mrs. Lemman purchased this piece at the K Newby Gallery in Tubac, Arizona in 2007.