[4] After high school, he won a scholarship to Chouinard Art Institute in Los Angeles in 1963 where he studied painting and sculpture.
[4] He was a friend of Bobby Fuller, who acted as a patron and helped establish Elder's first studio in Los Angeles.
[2] After graduating, Boyd returned to El Paso and later set up a workshop in Valentine where he created artwork made of polyester resin.
[3] In April 1972, Elder exhibited his latest works in an art gallery in Venice, California, in a solo show titled "El Chingadero" (meaning "The Fucker").
[7] Elder presented two of his works to the Eagles in Dallas in late 1974, one of which was then chosen for the cover of One of These Nights.
[2] Later another work of Elder, an image of an eagle's skull, would be used for the cover of Their Greatest Hits album.
Glenn Frey also noticed the resemblance, telling Elder that the background reminded him of "a field of blow" (slang term for cocaine), however the band chose not to debunk the myth.
Elder met Luann Darling Finlayson while he was studying at Chouinard in Los Angeles.