Donna Howell-Sickles' subject of empowered cowgirl figures dates back to 1972 when she stumbled across a 1950s hand-tinted postcard. It featured a waving cowgirl and under it was the inscription: "Greetings for a Real Cowgirl of the Southwest." The notion of a woman sitting atop her horse in period costume appealed to the artist. "But back then I didn't think they were real cowgirls," say Howell-Sickles. "At least none who might look like the one on my postcard. The real/unreal aspect is what I liked. When I started I never gave the women faces. They had mouth, bright red mouths that were a touch off to the side. It was if you had caught a glimpse of something frozen in time. My intent was to create a generalized...