Brush miles and perseverance brought Lubbock artist Tim Oliver back to watercolor painting after a three-decade hiatus. The artist, who works by day as a landscape architect, said he is drawn to the uncontrollable nature of watercolor and the life lessons it offers of letting go.

Over the years, Texasliving has shared the stories of many inspiring women across the state of Texas. Though all have incredible stories, here are a few of the noteworthy individuals.

His name may not be as recognizable as his brainchild, TOMS, the $625 million apparel company best known for their canvas slip-on shoes, but Blake Mycoskie does not appear to be someone who concerns himself with frivolities like fame. Often seen in pictures with a signature look of long hair, a beard, and a festival of pendants around his neck (including […]

With vineyards encompassing hundreds of acres of the rolling Texas Hill Country, winemaking in the Lone Star State is quickly becoming a widely practiced profession. In a highly concentrated industry, how does a winemaker stand out from the rest? One Texas woman is crafting French wine and creating magic by combining classic Southern charm with […]

For Jim Koehn, the vast and seemingly endless Texas highways and roadways offer more than a means from point A to B. The artist, drawn to locations with historical and sentimental value, has captured countless Texas restaurants, movie theaters, and live music venues through watercolor and acrylic paintings. Specifically, his more recent collection of 5×7 […]

One West Texas woman has unlocked the recipe to success, and it all started with a pair of red cowboy boots and a 40-acre pecan grove. Her success is evident through her 2016 induction into the Texas Women’s Hall of Fame as well as her thriving confectionery business, Susie’s South Forty Confections, located in Midland, Texas. Susie Hitchcock-Hall’s first career, in the mid-1970s, […]

Since 2002, the symbol of a yellow, interlocking fleur has taken Texas and the world by storm, becoming synonymous with one woman and one brand: Kendra Scott. A woman who wears many hats, or rather, pieces of jewelry, Scott is a chief executive officer, founder, lead designer, philanthropist, wife, and mother. Her geometric designs framing natural gemstones embody the […]

Taft, Texas is a classic small town. With a population of nearly 4,000, it only took one of San Patricio County’s community members to make an impact. Hometown hero turned award-winning animal advocate Kayla Denney did just that.  Denney saves lives. In 2018, chief of police John Cornish appointed Denney as the lead animal control […]

“Let’s get it done . . . so we can have some fun!” This is a key mantra of Erin Condren, founder, and chief creative officer of Erin Condren Design. Erin Condren is a lifestyle brand that fuses function with fun by creating colorful, high-quality paper planners, notebooks, stationery, and more. Condren built her brand from the […]

Fighting for representation in a predominantly male industry, women have had to overcome many obstacles to earn respect as professionals in the sports industry. Women in the field today have many strong, female influences to thank for paving the way thus far, including Texas’s own Anita Martini, the Galveston native who opened the door to gender equality for female sports […]

Sue Williams, MD, is an experienced internist and hospitalist who actively practices medicine at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas. Though her day job is indeed impressive, over the past decade, she has spent much of her free time turning a hobby into a business. In early 2014, she officially opened up a chocolate shop on Main Street in Grapevine. Ever since, […]

Whiskey Hollow Distillery smells like magic, sounds like Texas, and exists on the value of paying it forward. Housed in an old bank building, once rumored to have been robbed by Bonnie and Clyde, the small, one-still craft distillery sits right off the freeway in the quaint Valley View town square. Owner Les Beasley makes everything from bourbon, rum, and even […]

“The energy I receive is from light,” Wyman Meinzer said, award-winning photographer, author, and the official State Photographer of Texas. Meinzer first took an interest in photography around the age of 13. “I love great light, and even after 40-plus years of using a camera, light moves me greatly and energizes my creative store. I asked my mom for […]

John C. Scharbauer, the owner of Midland Meat Company and Scharbauer Ranches, is not particular about how his German surname is pronounced. Technically, Scharbauer sounds like “shar bower,” but those familiar with the name, synonymous since the 1800s with local beef, simply pronounce it “scarber.” The fifth-generation rancher is picky, however, about the cattle his family has worked 135 years […]

Mowgli and Murphy It was mid-morning in August. I sat outside to enjoy my daily cup of coffee, but that particular morning I felt as though something was off. I looked around with my coffee in hand and realized that I could not find one of my cats, Mowgli, who usually enjoyed going outside. We lived in […]