'Cotton Picking Time' Oil on canvas, 30" x 40" 1928 Texas Wildflower Competitive Exhibition Awarded First prize, Group 3: 'Cotton Fields'    Isabel Cartwright , originally from Philadelphia, was best known as a portrait artist. Cotton Picking Time is similar in subject and imagery to Arpa's and Dawson-Watson's paintings without the sophistication of these two. She has abstracted the image creating broad blocks and patches of color. Although proficient, the piece lacks the originality and strength of its two companion pieces. As Cartwright was primarily a portrait painter, the greatest strength of the picture is the image of the young boy in the left hand corner. The direct eye contact of the boy with the viewer draws us into the composition and forces us to interact with what otherwise might be a vapid image.-RC

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'Wild Poppies' Oil on canvas, 30" x 40" 1929 Texas Wildflower Competitive Exhibition  Awarded First prize, Group 1: 'Texas Wildflowers' (open division)    Wild Poppies, however, illustrates the imagination and creativity of the artist better than Cotton Picking Time. In this work, Cartwright has magnified the poppy flowers and given them a presence deserving of their beauty. The contrasts of light and shade, bright and hues, and shadow imbue the work with a freshness that stands alone in the 1929 Davis Competition paintings. -RC