Cowgirl Rising
Donna Howell-sickles becomes the first woman artist whose work is featured on the Pendleton Round-up poster.
One of the most famous Western events in the country, the 109-year-old Pendleton Round-up, has chosen painter Donna Howell-sickles as its poster artist for this year’s show, which kicks off September 7 in Pendleton, Oregon. Howell-sickles will be making history as the first woman artist whose work will be featured on the poster.
The Texas artist, who is a member of the Cowgirl Hall of Fame, is known for her colorful, energetic and joyful depictions of American cowgirls. Her work has been featured at museum exhibitions all around the country and it will next be seen September 6 during the opening of the Quest for the West exhibition at the Eiteljorg Museum in Indianapolis. Howell-sickles attributes her love of cowgirl and Western imagery to a vintage postcard of a cowgirl on a horse captioned, “Greetings from a Real Cowgirl from the ole Southwest.”
“The historic Pendleton Round-up is rich with iconic images, so choosing just one for a poster was a challenge,” the artist says. “Portraying a Round-up queen in a posture of welcome and celebration atop one of the red bucking chute gates of the arena, surrounded by the triangles of the Tipi Village, seemed to be a good solution. The red roses around her hat underscore the beauty of the entire event. I look forward to attending the Round-up again in September. ”
“Employing a bold palette of vibrant colors and dynamic visual movement, Donna is a perfect fit to capture the color and drama of the Pendleton Round-up,” says Pendleton Round-up publicity director Pat Reay. “There is no better embodiment of the confident, exuberant, fearless and playful spirit of Donna’s cowgirls than the members of the Pendleton Round-up Court celebrated in the poster. Paired with the iconic colors of the Round-up’s bucking chutes and the historic Tipi Village, Donna has created a masterful poster.”
The event runs from September 7 through 14. Posters, as well as other merchandise with Howell-sickles’ artwork on it, are available for purchase now at the Round-up store in Oregon, or online at shop.pendletonroundup.com. The artist will be on hand to sign the poster at various times between September 11 and 14. For more information visit www.pendletonroundup.com.