When I heard the song Highwomen, written and sang by Brandi Carlile and other artists, I immediately knew that I needed to do something to honor the spirit of the song. The Highwomen series is a dream for me to paint. It’s personal. Two paintings are a tribute to Della Rose, aka Laura Bullion, but referred to as The Thorny Rose by The Infamous Wild Bunch with whom she rode during train robberies. Dellas history is fascinating and fairly unknown. Another painting is called Utica's Calamity, named after the history of Calamity Jane who spent some time in her youth in Utica Montana. Some of the less known Highwomen in my series are my friends and my own daughter. In fact, all the women in the Highwomen song are unknown heroes who make strong choices in impossible situations; women who make brave decisions to follow their own path, regardless of the consequences. I might add a self-portrait to the mix eventually. So, I will continue to paint The Highwomen. I’m starting with my own western heroes but planning on including The refugee mother from Honduras, The healer from Salem, The freedom rider from the south, and The preacher from Colorado.