Maura Allen Works

Prescott, AZ

“There are stories all around us—the best are closest to home.”

The American West — both real and romanticized — is the center of Maura Allen’s work. Starting on location at ranches and rodeos, she magically weaves past and present, Old West and new, to create original contemporary paintings, sculpture and fine art glass pieces. She is drawn to iconic silhouettes — strong graphic elements for telling big stories.

Maura grew up in Northern California around the corner from Stanford University where the historic Eadweard Muybridge stop-action images of a running horse were taken and now displayed. Seeing that image as a young girl made a lasting imprint. She studied Latin/Classical Studies at Stanford, learning how iconic figures, myth and moments shape and define a culture. Two-plus decades ago, she began chronicling the American West with ranchers and wranglers as her trusted guides and realized many of the same cultural forces are at play.

Her work is included in museum, corporate and private collections, sold in top galleries, and has been featured in dozens of publications. Maura serves on the Board of Trustees at the Desert Caballeros Western Museum in Wickenburg, AZ and on the Board of Directors of photolucida, a Portland, OR-based photography non-profit with national reach.

Education:

Stanford University – BA Classical Studies/Latin

Exhibitions: Cowgirl Up! Desert Caballeros Western Museum, Wickenburg, AZ (2012 – 2024)

Out West Art Show & Sale | Great Falls, Montana (2019)

New Frontier. Curtis Arts & Humanities Center – Greenwood Village/Denver (2017) Western Heroes of Pulp Fiction. Tucson Museum of Art (2015 – 2016) Cheyenne Frontier Days Western Art Show. Old West Museum, Cody WY (2015 – 2017)

Corps of Discovery: On the Trail with Lewis & Clark (solo show). Pearce Museum, Corsicana, TX (2014)

The New West. Denver Arts Commission, Denver, CO (2014)

A New Look at the West. Pearce Museum, Corsicana, TX (2014)

Collecting the West. Desert Caballeros Western Museum, Wickenburg, AZ (2011)

Press

Western Art Collector | Ridin’ High (July 2023) Southwest Art Magazine | “No Limits” (February 2022) Western Art & Architecture| “The Next West” (Oct/Nov 2019)

Western Art Collector | “Art from the other Half of the West” (March 2018, 2019) SouthwestArt Magazine | “Geography of Hope” (June 2017) Cowboys & Indians | “The Contemporary Works of Maura Allen (April 2017) Dorado | “At Home: The Wild, Wild West” (March 2017) Denver Post | “New Frontier (Jan 2017)

SouthwestArt Magazine | “The Santa Fe Trail” (2015)

Western Art Collector Magazine | “Art from the Other Half of the West” (2015) SouthwestArt Magazine | “Today’s West” Cover + Feature (2014)

SouthwestArt Magazine | “Celebrating Women” (2014)

SouthwestArt Magazine | “Cowgirl Up! Show Preview” (2014) SouthwestArt Magazine | “Spotlight” (2012)

Awards

Cheyenne Frontier Days 2016 | Show Poster Museum Purchase Award | Desert Caballeros Western (2014) Tin Star Award | Pearce Museum New Look at the West (2014) Artists’ Choice Award | Cowgirl Up! (2013) Rene di Rosa Award of Merit Hearts of San Francisco | Artist Grant

Gallery Representation

Gallery Mar | Park City UT

Sorrel Sky Gallery | Santa Fe, NM and Durango, CO

Grace Renee Gallery | Carefree, AZ

Mountain Trails Gallery | Jackson Hole, WY

Dick Idol Gallery | Whitefish MT

Westerly Gallery | Steamboat Springs, CO

exhibit aberson | Tulsa OK