Donna Howell-Sickles Estate
b. 1949
Donna Howell-Sickles was born in 1949 in Gainsville, Texas, where she was raised on a 900-acre farm. When Howell-Sickles was entering Junior High School, her parents moved the family to New Mexico; she graduated from Lovington High Scholl. In 1972, she earned her BFA from Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas. During her junior year at Texas Tech University she acquired an old postcard, circa 1935, depicting a cowgirl seated atop a horse. The vintage postcard read, “Greetings from a real Cowgirl from the Ole Southwest.” Attracted instantly by the charm and confidence of the woman in the image, Howell-Sickles began incorporating the cowgirl figure into her artwork, as well as collecting and researching these old-time cowgirl images. Before long, this Cowgirl icon, and all that she could stand for, became the central theme in the Contemporary-Western settings of Howell-Sickles’ mixed-media artwork. Donna Howell-Sickles works on paper and canvas in a mix of charcoal, pastel and acrylic most often leaving her under-drawing visible. In the artwork, the Cowgirl achieves the status of a heroine, and these images have brought Donna Howell-Sickles national attention, recognition, accolades and success. Her work is rich with symbolism and allusions to classical mythology, but the viewer does not need to be familiar with the life apparent in each piece. With an ageless grace, and timeless stories, these Cowgirl heroines will live on forever in vibrant colors through Donna Howell-Sickles’ artwork.
“My fascination with the cowgirl image began in my last year of college. I received an old postcard from a friend in a typical art student trade. He brought over a large box of stuff including some of his own pottery. Near the bottom of the box were several old postcards, one of a cowgirl c. 1935 seated on a horse captioned “Greetings from a Real Cowgirl from the Ole Southwest”. The image spoke to me and I had no idea why. Although I had grown up on a farming ranching operation in Texas we never really thought of ourselves as Western. I surrendered to the attraction and as I used the Cowgirl in my art and I slowly filled in the blanks about my fascination with the imagery.”
1. Clay – Chavant Le Beau Touche. Get the regular clay, not HM (high melt).
2. Clay warming devices, a metal bucket with a clamp on heat lamp or 100 W bulb works great.
3. Tie wire.
4. Aluminum foil.
5. Scissors.
6. Favorite sculpture tools.
7. Plank of wood (pine) approximately 8″ x 8″ x 2″.
Bring as many planks as you wish…the wood is used as the base for your sculpture.
8. Plumber’s pipe, 1/2″ threaded: Bring several different lengths…up to 10″…not PVC pipe.
Plumber’s pipe T joint.
Plumber’s pipe couplers.
Plumber’s pipe flange.
9. Screws and screwdriver to secure the flange to wood…this may be done before you arrive. (Place flange in the center of plank)
10. Wire cutters
11. Needle nose pliers
12. Rubber mallet.
13. Spatula
14. Measuring devices such as rulers, measuring tape, dividers, and calipers.
15. Because we concentrate on BIRDS IN FLIGHT, live models in the classroom are more distracting than useful. I will demonstrate the technique of constructing a cantilevered bird armature that can be used for many different bird species and will show you how to assemble shapes to capture the “gist” of the specific bird.
16. Bird field guides such as Peterson, Stokes, Golden, or Sibley. Sibley’s Guide to Birds (not Sibley’s Guide to Bird Life and Behavior) is best if bringing only one field guide. This popular book can usually be purchased at any bookstore.
17. Bring your laptop to the class if possible.
18. Bring your sketchbook.
1 Lake Circle Colorado Springs, Colorado 80906
broadmoorgalleries.com