Equestrian Network Magazine

Spotlight On The Artist: Donna Howell-Sickles

by M. Y. Mim

"The symbols of yesteryear ride into my work bearing joyous greetings for us all and an invitation to celebrate our involvement in life. They are visual reminders to enjoy our present while also offering hope for the future. We can be that joyous spirit, balanced, as always, on the back of uncontrollable force of life."

Artist
Donna Howell-Sickles

-Donna Howell-Sickles

Texas based and internationally renowned

Donna Howell-Sickles' cowgirl art commands respect from western art fans, equine art fans, general art fans, and the public at large.

And the Cowgirl Jumped over the Moon - 1997 "While the wit of the title suggests nursery rhyme nonsense, the painting itself is proof positive of the cowgirl's empowerment. Here, in an echo of bull-leaping ceremonies practiced in ancient Crete, the Cowgirl takes on the power of the moon, which is echoed in the round shape behind her and the crescent horns of the oxen. Her boots are decorated with symbols of the feminine: the crescent, the five-pointed star, and the six-petalled flower, symbol of Aphrodite, Greek goddess of love." D. H.-S.

Donna's work is so popular that her 1997 hardcover book Cowgirl Rising: The Art of Donna Howell-Sickles still sells briskly. A Google search for Donna Howell-Sickles results in nearly a dozen pages of references.

No one should be surprised. Donna's outstandingly symbolic, personal and personable work shows a deceptively simple style; look closely and the depth of meaning and expertise demand repeat viewing. This is the kind of work about which people often say "I could live with that." Not that her cowgirls are merely decorative. They are, indeed, pleasant to look at, but that's not the sum of her work.

According to her artist's statement, "The cowgirl has become my icon for women in general, and I'm using her to portray someone of warmth and

humor with whom to laugh. My interest in the cowgirl imagery began in 1972 when I was a senior in college. A friend had given me a 40's-era, hand - tinted postcard of a woman dressed in wild west gear and waving astride a big sorrel horse. Above the image read the inscription 'Greetings from a real cowgirl from the ol 'Southwest.' This was a wonderful image in that the colors were printed over the black and white processing. And her bright red lips were printed just slightly off-center. That quality of the real and unreal fascinated me."

		It's the Weight on Her Back That Makes Her Slow 2001 "The tortoise is thought symbolically in many cultures from China to Native America to support the universe on its back while its legs form the four pillars of the earth and lend stability to the creation. That should be enough to slow anyone down. In this drawing the tortoise is getting a bit of help from the Cowgirl." D. H.-S.

		The Thrill of the Race 2000 "There are days when the best part of the day is the race. It gives you a sense of purpose, a feeling of rushing into your future and enjoying the wind in your hair. There are days when the why is much less important than the living." D. H.-S.

That postcard started the Texas Tech University graduate on a search for her own American cowgirls, ones who were strong and joyous. The search led to rodeos and Wild West shows, dating as far back as the 20's and reaching up until today.

Back in the Saddle 2001 "Getting back in the saddle again and again is not always that easy. Here the Cowgirl has within her reach all the images she needs to pull off another good ride. From the wisdom of the owl to the strength found in friendship, all these images are woven into her background." D. H.-S.

"I kind of got acquainted by name with all of these old rodeo women. Wonderfully, wildly atypical for their time.

The image seems to me a wonderful, fake, glamorized image, something someone just made up.

While these women are presented within the context of our own western American myth, they also embody universal icons, symbols, and legends of women from any era.

By 1979 I had learned of the 'real' cowgirls from the rodeos and wild west shows of the 1910s and '20s. Their loud, bright costumes and

eccentric lifestyles fascinated me. My work from 1979 to 1984 used the cowgirl with little or no facial features, with the intention of projecting a general western persona, not a specific person.

As my work is now progressing, the cowgirls are expressing more joy, friendship, and self-esteem, and they need more specific personalities and facial features."

Legends - 1998 "The cycle of life is celebrated in this painting by the Cowgirl with full moons on her chaps and stars on her scarf, as she follows the path of the bear - cyclical rebirth. Different cultures and myths form the tapestry of this painting, all referring to the Big Dipper, sometimes seen as the bear, and its reappearance in the night sky. The panels in the background are drawn from Micmac tradition, where the bear or the Big Dipper was thought to be chased through the sky by seven hungry birds. It is the robin who finally vanquishes the bear, its breast and the leaf of the nearby maple stained by the bear's blood. The reappearance of the bear from hibernation was, in many cultures, proof of the cycle of life." D. H.-S.

The work shown here ranges from the earlier pieces to those where you can easily see specific personalities and features.

Donna continues: "They [cowgirls] have energy, wit, wisdom and self-awareness. They have charm, style, independence and a love of animals that goes beyond the mythic."

Much like the artist herself.

Donna's work is in the collections of the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody, Wyoming; National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame; Fort Worth, Texas; Tucson Museum of Fine Art; The National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson, Wyoming; as well as many private and corporate collections in the U.S. and internationally. Her work has been exhibited more than a dozen one-woman shows and she was named the featured artist at the American Woman Artist show at the National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson, Wyoming.

All images © Donna Howell - Sickles - Used by permission only Photo of Ms. Sickles courtesy Art Out West, Outline Gallery of Western Art and Southwestern Art, www.artoutwest.com.

To contact the artist, Call Toll Free: 1-877-881-0704
Email: info@donnahowellsickles.com
Address: Howell-Sickles Studios. P.O. Box H, Saint Jo, TX 76265
http://www.donnahowellsickles.com/

The following galleries carry work by Donna Howell-Sickles:

Big Horn Galleries :1167 Sheridan Ave., Cody, WY 82414
307-527-7587 * Fax 307-527-7586
bighorngalleries.com * BHGCody@aol.com
Big Horn Galleries: P.O. Box 4080, 37 Tubac Rd.,Tubac, AZ 85646
520-398-9209 * Fax 520-398-9283
bighorngalleries.com

Kneeland Gallery: P O Box 2070. Sun Valley, ID 83353
271 1st Ave. N , Ketchum, ID 83340
208-726-5512 * 800-338-0480
FAX 208-726-7495
kneelandgallery.com * art@kneelandgallery.com

McLarry Fine Art:: 225 Canyon Road, Santa Fe, NM 87501
505-988-1161* Fax 505-988-1162
mclarryfineart.com * chris@mclarryfineart.com

Telluride Gallery of Fine Art:: P.O. Box 1900, Telluride, CO 81435
970-728-3300
www.telluridegallery.com * info@telluridegallery.com

Texas Art Gallery: 5570 West Lovers Lane, Inwood Village Suite 396, Dallas, TX 75209-4257
214-350-8500 * Fax 214-352-7731

Trailside Galleries: P.O. Box 1149, Jackson, WY 83001
105 N. Center St, Jackson, WY 83001
307-733-3186
www.trailsidegalleries.com

Trailside Galleries: 7330 Scottsdale Mall, Scottsdale, AZ 85251
480-945-7751 * Fax 602-946-9025
www.trailsidegalleries.com

About the Author: M. Y. Mim is a free-lance journalist based in Santa Barbara, Ca. She may be reached at mymim3@cox.net, or through her agent R. Almqvist, 805-705-5349.