Lillies Leap Dogs

Howell-Sickles works on paper and canvas in a mix of charcoal, pastel and acrylic most often leaving her under-drawing visible, allowing us a glimpse of her artistic process.

(b 1949)Howell-Sickles was born in Gainesville, Texas and raised on a 900 acre farm. In 1972, while earning her BFA at Texas Tech in Lubbock, she acquired an old postcard c. 1935 depicting a cowgirl seated on a horse which read, “Greetings from a Real Cowgirl from the Ole Southwest.” Attracted by the charm and confidence of the woman in the image, she began incorporating the cowgirl figure into her work. This icon soon became the central theme in the contemporary settings of Donna’s pieces.