This pastel work of fine art nicely reflects the artist's connection with the medium: "Sometimes art is my only source of comfort or reality, perhaps because I can see it, but I suspect there are deeper, more intangible reasons. When I look at things, especially outdoors, I feel happy, saturated, and terribly anxious. Regardless, I never tire of it. It is a gift."
Isabel earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Texas at Austin in 1973 and taught life drawing in Austin from 1976 to 1982. She shifted her focus to pastels in 1977, using them for commissioned portraits in the 1980s. In 1993, she studied under pastelist Harley Brown. Although she has painted since childhood, it was only after her marriage in 1991 that she pursued art as a career. A pivotal moment in her career occurred in 1991 when her portrait of humorist John Henry Faulk was placed in the permanent collection of the Barker History Center at the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library, inspiring her to actively pursue her art career.
FRAMED PASTEL ON PAPER. SIGNED ISABEL S BOTTOM LEFT. PROVENANCE: FROM A DISTINGUISHED AUSTIN, TX ESTATE.
