Remember the Alamo!

Cindy painted this in watercolor.  It hangs in our den.

When we moved to Texas seven years ago, we immediately realized that we needed artwork in our home that reflects living in the Lone Star State.  For my Christmas present six years ago, Cindy presented me with her painting of the Alamo.  Her painting is based on a picture of the old mission taken circa 1920. 

The Alamo as it appears today in San Antonio

To refresh your memories (especially my friends from countries outside the United States), the Alamo was/is an old Spanish mission located in San Antonio, Texas.  In 1835, Texas began a quest for independence from Mexico, which ruled Texas.  The battle for independence became a very bloody affair when General Santa Ana led his army of several thousand men into Texas.

One of the most important battles was the battle at the Alamo, where approximately 180 Texans and their supporters entrenched themselves against the much larger force of the Mexicans.  On March 6, the Mexican army conquered the little mission fortress and killed all of the defenders.

The monument at San Jacinto commemorates Texas' independence.  It rises higher than the Washington monument

This action enraged all of Texas, and on April 21, 1836, against overwhelming odds, the Texas militia, led by Sam Houston, caught up with the Mexican army and annihilated it at San Jacinto, just east of present day Houston, Texas.  That battle led to Texas' independence.

The Alamo has ever since been preserved as a holy shrine.

The above painting hangs in our den.  Cindy says it is done in watercolor using dry brush technique on hard surface watercolor board.  Of course, it is very special to me.  There is one whimsical element to the painting---on the right side, in black robe, stands the spectral figure of a mysterious woman.  That woman is Madam Candelaria, rumored to be the only Texas survivor of the battle.


My wife, Cindy, is an accomplished artist, and painted the above picture of the Alamo in watercolor

 You may view more of Cindy's artwork on her Facebook page---"Cindy Ellison Art".