Forces of Nature

Collector's Focus Women of the West

By John O’Hern

The people of Acoma emerged from a sacred place far to the North and beneath the earth called Shipapu. They migrated and settled in Haak’u (“the place prepared”), a place perfect in every way. Acoma Pueblo sits atop a 357-foot mesa in the desert of Northern New Mexico and has earned a reputation as the oldest continuously inhabited community in North America, famed for its cultural traditions and its distinctive thin-walled pottery.

When Roseta Santiago came to New Mexico in 2000 to paint, she surrounded herself with handmade Asian and Native American artifacts and absorbed the creative spirit of their creators. Sublime Mystery is an Acoma jar with characteristic painted patterns and a fire cloud on the lower left—a natural occurrence when something burns too close to the pot or touches it during firing. Santiago observes, “It’s exciting in the world of Native pottery that the materials are earth, water and maybe a yucca plant that is the brush. I find that mystery of how such simple elements can come together to be fascinating. When you paint a design that is mathematical and precise, originally created using simple tools, that is part of embracing the mystery.”Trailside Galleries, A Force of Nature, oil on linen, 16 x 20”,by Kathleen Dunphy.

King Galleries, Sublime Mystery, oil on canvas, 30 x 24”, by Roseta Santiago

Meyer Gallery, Gunslinger, oil, 14 x 11”, by Natalie FeatherstonKathleen Dunphy lives immersed in the landscape of the Sierra Nevada foothills of Northern California. She writes: “The Stanislaus River winds its way down the mountains near my home and I’m drawn to the drama of this majestic river to paint several times each season. Heavy winter rains filled the watershed this winter and the river roils and floods its banks in celebration of the end of the 6-year drought. I painted A Force of Nature on location, standing at the base of the falls with the roar of the water in my ears and the spray of the foam in my face.”Gladys Roldan-de-Moras, Partners, oil on linen, 24 x 18”

Gladys Roldan-de-Moras, La Competencia (The Competition), oil on linen, 30 x 40”

Gladys Roldan-de-Moras, Spring Riding, oil on linen, 30 x 40”

Natalie Featherston assembles still lifes that she then paints in Trompe l’Oeil, making it almost indistinguishable from the assemblage. For Gunslinger, she taped an embroidery with guns and flowers on the background and stuck a reproduction of a woman’s face from a circa 1910 Hopkins & Allen Arms Company poster. The woman embodies the wholesome qualities popularized by Charles Dana Gibson around the turn of the 20th century. His women were known as “Gibson Girls.” The idea of a gunslinging woman was popularized by Annie Oakley, a sharpshooter who performed with Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show. She was born in Ohio and learned to shoot when she was young and, when she was 15, using her late father’s rifle, she shot game for her impoverished family’s table and to sell in the nearby town. When she was younger, she had been sent to live with the superintendent of a nearby infirmary where she learned to sew.Legacy Gallery, Western Fancy, oil, 16½ x 14”, by Carrie Ballantyne

Legacy Gallery, His and Hers, oil, 18 x 24”, by Gayle Nason

Brenda Murphy, The Race, graphite pencil, 13 x 28”

Oakley acknowledged her roots when she wrote, “After traveling through fourteen foreign countries and appearing before all the royalty and nobility I have only one wish today. That when my eyes are closed in death that they will bury me back in that quiet little farm land where I was born.”

Continue Reading through this special section to hear from female artists that are passionate about depicting scenes of the Western genre. Each artist discusses their inspirations and background, along with tips on beginning or growing a collection.Legacy Gallery, Dignity, oil, 15 x 12½”, by Carrie Ballantyne

Cindy Sorley-Keichinger, Autumn Snooze, acrylic, 14 x 11”

Cindy Sorley-Keichinger, Winter Serenade, acrylic, 9 x 12”

Born and raised in Texas, Brenda Murphy began her art career in graphic design and illustration. That foundation proved useful as she moved into the world of fine art, and it’s evident she chose the right path. Her sensitively rendered drawings come alive with movement, vibrancy and emotion. When she touches graphite to paper, it’s amazing how water ripples and sparkles, and the thoughts of a horse are immediately transparent. Her artwork seems to have a soul all its own. “I’ve always had an interest the American West,” she furthers. “Everything from the cowboys of today, to the clothes and faces of its Native American people. The light, textures, faces and stories are the foundations of my art. They are a never-ending source of inspiration. It is gratifying when I am able to represent my subject with beauty, accuracy and authenticity.”Brenda Murphy, Standing By, graphite pencil, 10 x 12”

Brenda Murphy, Aamehe, Always a Woman, pencil and white pastel on toned paper, 20 x 15”

Angela Babby, Love is Love, glass mosaic on tile board, 38 x 28”

Leah Lucas, Chinook on the Ranch, oil, 12 x 24”

Murphy is represented by Trailside Gallery and Settlers West Gallery, and is also a regular participant in the Eiteljorg Museum’s Quest for the West and the Briscoe Museum’s Night of Artists show.

Artist Angela Babby shows incredible talent in pieces such as Love is Love, a glass mosaic depicting two Lakota people engaging in an intimate moment, that will be part of Clearly Indigenous: Native Visions Reimagined in Glass, a group exhibition on view through June 16. This show, at the Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, brings together the foremost Native artists working in glass, and examines how they reinterpret cultural narratives and designs in new mediums, breaking the boundaries of what is deemed traditional Indigenous art.

Also in June, Babby will be a part of The Gift exhibition: a Lakota group show about White Buffalo Calf Women and part of a series of educational art exhibitions created by Lakota Artists. The exhibition will be hosted by Akta Lakota Museum and Cultural Center in Chamberlain, South Dakota. Dawn Sutherland, A Promise Kept, oil, 22 x 28”

Cindy Sorley-Keichinger, Secluded Glade, acrylic, 9 x 12”

J.M. Brodrick, Juggernaut, acrylic, 23 x 40”

Cindy Sorley-Keichinger, from Canada, is primarily self-taught. Her work reflects her love of nature and wildlife, and she believes that in these trying times, it is nice to enjoy the peace of nature and scenes of animals. “A study has found that paintings of wildlife have a calming effect on people,” Sorley-Keichinger says, “and some workplaces have brought in nature walks for their staff to help with relaxation.” She tries to bring this serenity into her work.

Sorley-Keichinger is a member of several Artist Organizations: Artists for Conservation, Society of Animal Artists and Women Artists of the West to name a few. She is also proud to have designed a coin for the Royal Canadian Mint. She will be part of Masterpieces in Miniature at Picture This Gallery in Sherwood Park, Alberta, for the month of May 2021. This is the largest miniature show in Canada.

Another talented artist from Canada, Leah Lucas reveled in the freedom to explore her world on horseback, captivated by expansive blue skies butted against the imposing Rockies. “Now I paint the similar landscapes across the American West; landscapes that force the brush to move across a canvas with deliberation—intent on its purpose with little choice but to express beauty,” she says. “What I value from my connection to landscape and to horses is freedom, communion and always relying on the feeling of truth. My mentor, Richard Alan Nichols, has been the great influence in my painting progression.”Leah Lucas, Taos Gorge Nocturne, oil, 12 x 24”

Carly Quinn, Mother, hand painted, kiln fired ceramic tile, 42x 24”

Leah Lucas, Comanche Way, oil, 8 x 16”

In Carly Quinn’s piece Mother, a hand painted, kiln fired ceramic tile featuring a Native woman in full dress she “utilizes an Old World ceramic painting technique known as ‘Cuerda Seca,’ that originated in Northern Spain in the early 1500s,” she explains. “I have been working in the medium for 15 years and have developed a variety of techniques that are unique to my work.” Drawing inspiration from childhood memories of growing up in Northern Arizona, Quinn’s works have been developed from being exposed to the culture and artistry of the region.

Dawn Sutherland feels that when a painting catches one’s attention, there is a profound connection that satisfies not only the eyes, but also the heart. “Bringing that painting into your home brings years of pleasure and meaningful memories,” she furthers.JaNeil Anderson, You’re Still the One, oil, 24 x 18”

This can be felt in her piece A Promise Kept, where the Grand Canyon’s shadows deepen at day’s end, defining contours and formations. “Last rays of daylight reflect into those shadows and for a few rarefied moments, the whole Canyon glows with singular color,” she says. “Each sundown is a new display and for a painter, a never-ending invitation to capture a fleeting moment. Every time I set up a canvas to paint the Grand Canyon, I promise to represent it more truthfully and beautifully than the canvas before.”Mountain Trails Gallery, Apache Maiden, limited edition bronze, 17 x 10 x 9”, by Susan Kliewer

Much like Sutherland, J.M. Brodick’s work is also serene and peaceful, and can include elements of drama and poetic tenderness. “I’m a painter working towards merging my need for realism with the pure beauty of abstract,” Brodick furthers. When collecting, she says, “choosing your art should be similar to how you choose your music; an escape from reality for a moment, leaving you feeling better for having experienced it.”

Known for paintings that spotlight her Spanish heritage in Western art, Gladys Roldan-de-Moras creates works depicting courageous escaramuza girls daringly riding majestic horse’s sidesaddle in a rodeo-style festival. There are romantic Flamenco senoritas clad in exuberant Andalusian dresses and old-fashioned delicate damsels in intimate, exquisite poses.

Moras is more recently bringing attention to the Spanish element of her nationality by portraying a matador, that was unanimously awarded the highly coveted Sam Houston Award for best painting in the 2021 Night of Artists at the Briscoe Western Art Museum. J.M. Brodrick, White Lighting, acrylic, 24 x 30”

Mountain Trails Gallery, Father Sky Mother Earth, oil, 36 x 36”, by Marcia Molnar

Mountain Trails Gallery, Favoring Feathers, acrylic, 24 x 24”, by Lisa Danielle

Artist JaNeil Anderson also paints the life she knows: the working cowboy and cowgirl of the Southwest. Her subject matter ranges from bronc rides to romance, cowboys, cowgirls and even children working on a cattle ranch. Anderson is a member of American Women Artists and was honored last year during the group show with a Museum Permanent Collection award with the Booth Western Art Museum in Cartersville, Georgia. She is also this year’s poster artist for the Arizona Cowboy Poet Gathering, and will be attending August 21 and 22. Anderson’s summer shows include The Greeley Stampede in Greeley, Colorado, from June 20 to July 4, and The Russell, in Great Falls, Montana, on August 20.

Galleries such as Legacy Gallery in Scottsdale, Arizona, also house the works of talented female Western artists like Carrie Ballantyne, who is best known for her Western portraits. For 30 years, Ballantyne has portrayed her family and friends, neighbors, ranch hands, buckaroos and all the people she has met along the way, and that attracts her the most. “If I am going to work for weeks on end, painting a portrait, it’s important to me that I respect the person I’m portraying,” she says. Not one to romanticize the West, Ballantyne’s desire is to show real people, sometimes isolated individuals, who love what they do and wouldn’t choose any other way of life.

Also featured at Legacy is Gayle Nason, who moved to Arizona from rural Iowa in 1968. Her love for the Southwest and her fascination with the historical legacy of its Native people has added a new dimension to her still life paintings. Deeply moved by the spiritual heritage of the American Indian and led by her diligence for perfection, Nason’s realistic paintings feature the age-old beauty of beaded moccasins, Indian pottery and other Native American artifacts.Sonja Caywood, Daphne in the Weeds, oil on canvas, 36 x 24”

Naomi Brown, Vintage Desert Sky, oil and acrylic, 48 x 36”

Julie R. Williams, director of Mountain Trails Gallery in Sedona, Arizona, discusses the inspired group of female artists at the gallery: “We are proud to represent accomplished and respected artists who offer a remarkable spectrum of work, from richly detailed historic sculpture and paintings, to a variety of dynamic styles and subject matter. We are celebrating Arizona sculptors Susan Kliewer and Deborah Copenhaver Fellows, and painters Lisa Danielle, Marcia Molnar and Linda Glover Gooch, [to name just a few.] The value they bring to a collection is only exceeded by an intention to bring their own unique voice to the work and to ‘speak their own mind,’ a trait that contributes to the spirit and determination in their careers over the years.”

Mountain Trails likes to offer their collectors age-old wisdom, to purchase the best piece of an artist’s work you can afford. The gallery also adds the guidance to notice the authenticity and essence of spirit in the artwork of your chosen artist.Naomi Brown, Desert Lupines, oil and acrylic, 24 x 20”

Naomi Brown, Oasis Evening Display, oil and acrylic, 24 x 36”

Growing up ranching, livestock inspires much of Sonja Caywood’s imagery. “My candid, relatable scenes with animals often involve eye contact, prompting viewer connection. As one approaches my work closely, the realistic image transforms into abstract shapes of colorful brushstrokes. My work is best seen in person, as photographs depict only a midpoint in this dichotomy of realism and expressionism. ‘To have talent is no credit to its owner,’ C.M. Russell said. I’m blessed to make a living on art, but I’d paint even if I never made another dime on it; it’s a joyful connection to God, The Great Creator.” When collecting, Caywood says, “Go with your heart, not the color of your couch.”

Naomi Brown, like many of the artists in this section, is very passionate about her Southwest desert surroundings, and tries to portray this through each piece of work. She says, “Being an artist every day requires discipline and drive. If one of these key elements is missing, I cannot produce my best work. Probably the most important part of producing my best work, is having the emotional connection with the subject I am painting. When this connection kicks into high gear, I can then feel passionate about what I am painting. It is the best feeling as an artist when you have all of these key elements working together. My goal with my art, is to move the viewer and give them an emotional connection to the subject through my paintings.” —