The Studio of Donna Howell-Sickles

Working in a studio that overlooks the historic square in Saint Jo, Texas, Donna Howell-Sickles is surrounded by the tools and atmosphere she needs to create her award-winning paintings and drawings of women who inspire her: cowgirls. She previously worked in a studio—a former church—in the city, but left that behind in 2013, after she and her husband John opened a gallery downtown and renovated that building to include a studio on the second floor.

“It turned out to be a fabulous thing,” Howell-Sickles says. “It’s a beautiful space that is much more public than the sanctuary-like space of the old church. It has been a wonderful move; we love the town.”

Donna and John moved from Frisco, a 90-minute drive from Saint Jo, in 2000 and now have the best of both worlds—at home and at work. Her studio is in the heart of the city, and they live on a ranch just four miles north of it. “It’s a beautiful piece of property with plenty of room to walk,” she says.

Read the full article in the March/April 2025 issue.