Essential Stories

Collectorʼs Focus: Women Artists

We’ve been asked before why we still create a section for women artists. The people who ask this question ask it innocently and in good faith. “Women are treated fairly in the art world, right?” Only the artists can answer this accurately, but generally yes, women are treated equally. And yet, depending on where you look, women artists can represent anywhere from 10 to 30 percent of galleries, museum exhibitions, auctions and art fairs.

So more can be done, which is why this section is always an exciting time to highlight women artists and their accomplishments in the art world. And make no mistake: the artists whose works appear here in our Women Artists section can, and will, appear in any issue of this magazine. They are not just great women artists. They are great artists.Full stop.

Erika Victor, Far Dawn, oil, 36 x 32 in.

Consider the work of newcomer Erika Victor, who is not only creating exceptional paintings that celebrate the West but also helping reinforce the importance of women artists and their unique perspectives as artists.

“Western media has often been male dominated, stories and images of men bymen. When people go to a gallery and look at Western art, they are often looking at a male figure, a cowboy,” Victor says. “However, there are many women working in the Western world, but they’ve often been invisible in art. I want to celebrate the women who are doing meaningful work on ranches, in agriculture and in their communities. The women are real women with real stories and roots in Western life. I want to showcase these women, through a woman’s perspective.”

Top: Maura Allen, When Your World’s the West, glass and steel, 9 x 14 x 15 in. Harper Henry, Wild Abstraction, oil on canvas, 30 x 24 in. Bottom: Legacy Gallery, Fragile Strength, oil, 16 x 12 in., by Carrie Ballantyne. Gallery Wild, When We Were Wild, oil on linen, 60 x 60 in., by Patricia A. Griffin.

Victor is relatively new to the scene, but Maura Allen has been making art, much of it modern and hard to classify, for more than 20 years. Her works have appeared at the Coors Western Art Exhibit & Sale, Cowgirl Up! Art from the Other Half of the West and many other shows. Using mediums as varied as paint, glass and steel, Allen veers into Pop Art, romanticized Western iconography and mythic representations in Hollywood. “Stories of the American West—both real and romanticized—have been the focus of my work for two-plus decades. I start each piece standing on the land with ranchers and rodeo stars, looking for strong silhouettes to tell big stories,” Allen says. “Working with glass at 1,450 degrees and 40-plus hours in the kiln, I’m exploring ways to transform traditional, iconic Western moments with added depth and magic.”

Harper Henryuses more traditional mediums, but does so in a contemporary way that emphasizes form and color in works involving cowboys, horses and wildlife. Like Allen and Victor, Henry is working at a high level with a unique voice. “With my work I aspire to blend the traditional beauty of realism with the mystery of abstraction, creating a dynamic dance between form and feeling. I focus mainly on Western and Indigenous subjects, horses and wild animals,” she says. “My goal is to capture their spirit with accuracy while using abstract elements to create movement and emotion. I want the viewer to connect not only with the subject, but with the energy and the story behind it.”

Top: Gallery Wild, Rendezvous Grizzlies Seventeen, acrylic and gold leaf on canvas, 24 x 24 in., by Carrie Wild. Sally Maxwell, Hope is on the Horizon, scratchboard, 48 x 36 in. Bottom: Gallery Wild, Resolute, oil on linen, 72 x 48 in., by Amber Blazina. Legacy Gallery, The Topaz Forest, oil, 24 x 30 in., by Terri Kelly Moyers.

The women of Wyoming-based Gallery Wild, are rewriting the narrative of the contemporary West. Led by gallery founder and artist Carrie Wild, this collective of creatives brings a fresh, fiercely feminine lens to wildlife and Western art. Wild herself has long used her paintings to advocate for the wild spaces and animals that inspire her—and through Gallery Wild, she uplifts others who do the same. Among them are Patricia A. Griffin and Amber Blazina, two oil painters who masterfully capture both majesty and emotion. Griffin’s luminous wildlife portraits are charged with vitality and color, while Blazina’s bold, gestural brushwork adds drama and movement to each scene. What unites them is a deep reverence for their subjects and an intuitive understanding of balance, beauty and strength. Their work speaks to a new era—one where women are not only present in the Western art world, but leading its evolution with purpose, passion and power.

When artist Sally Maxwellwas first introduced to scratchboard as an art medium 58 years ago, it was a graphic art form. “My fine art was done in my spare time in oils, pastels, watercolor and anything I could try. I fell in love. I never stopped using scratchboard and soon took on the challenge of adding color for more impact,” says Maxwell. “After much experimentation for colorfastness and coverage of the black, plus staining of the exposed white, I found my answer. I have never looked back and keep pushing the boundaries. I am always experimenting with new textures and techniques.” Nowadays, Maxwell is known as a master of scratchboard art, with animals as her primary subject matter.

Top: Sally Maxwell, A Place to Reflect, scratchboard, 60 x 24 in. Kasia Kaznocha, The Moon Story, acrylic on canvas, 36 x 48 in. Bottom: Carrie Nygren, Midgey, oil, 30 x 40 in. Kasia Kaznocha, Summer Dreams, acrylic on canvas, 36 x 36 in.

Whether painting a portrait, a landscape or a cowgirl riding a horse, Terri Kelly Moyers’ subjects are things that are beautiful and that move her. Her favorite subject is the American cowgirl. “I enjoy painting women,” she says. “I feel women had a major role to play in the West, and maybe that hasn’t been recognized as much as it could be.”

Rachel Brownlee was raised on a family ranch in western Nebraska. She is a fifth-generation rancher, descended from Old Jules Sandoz, subject of the Mari Sandoz books, who originally emigrated from Switzerland. She was home-educated with her six siblings. All their cattle work was done horseback, and she and her siblings spent most of their life doing ranch work. There was no art education available and Brownlee was essentially exposed to no other artwork other than some books about equine composition, until after college.

Best known for her Western portraits, Carrie Ballantynegrew up in Southern California and began drawing as a child. Art was always a passion for Ballantyne, but never pursued it as a profession. In her late teens, she moved to Wyoming to work on a dude ranch and for big game outfitters. It was during this time that she began to realize art, as a profession, was a real possibility. In 1981, Ballantyne entered her first juried art show, won first place in drawing, and never looked back.

Kasia Kaznocha, Journey, acrylic on canvas, 36 x 48 in.

Moyers, Brownlee and Ballantyne are all represented by Legacy Gallery in Scottsdale, Arizona.

“I always had two passions: one is horse-riding, which gives me great pleasure and satisfaction, and the second is all kinds of artistic activities,” says Kasia Kaznocha.Horses are a constant source of inspiration for the artist and have become her primary subject matter. “But just as horses have naturally been my inspiration, because I have been riding horses since I was a child, I never wanted my paintings to be only representations of animals. That’s why horses in my paintings never have bridles on saddles. They are an excuse to show emotions. As my painting develops, I find these emotions in other animals as well. In the process of creation, I am most fascinated by my own sensitivity, by conveying emotions; by telling a story.”

Legacy Gallery, Little Shepherdess, charcoal, 30 x 15 in., by Rachel Brownlee.

Artist Carrie Nygren is also captivated by horses. “[They] are amazing animals,” says Nygren, who paints with traditional oils in a modern format. “I try to capture the inherent spirit, character and personality of each horse I have the privilege of painting. Whether it’s a portrait, or a captured moment in action, there is nothing nobler than the horse and his relationship with the rider. I never want the viewer to be aware of the process, rather, just be aware of the subject. My intent is to find a balance between traditional painting and contemporary composition, intentionally focusing the eye on the subject. Integral to that is attention to anatomy, motion, emotion, dimensional volume, weight and tension, which all contribute to paintings that capture not only the ‘portrait’ of the horse, but the nuanced strength of the equine form.”

From left: Carrie Nygren, Wind - Friend or Foe, oil, 30 x 40 in. Winfield Trading Company, tufa-cast 14k gold pendant with Lone Mountain turquoise, by Rebecca Begay.

Represented by Winfield Trading Company in Gallup, New Mexico, Rebecca Begay is a talented Navajo artist who creates beautiful jewelry using tufa casting, a traditional technique where designs are carved into soft volcanic stone and then cast in silver. Her pieces are full of meaning, often inspired by nature, Navajo stories and spiritual symbols. Every detail in her work feels intentional, making each piece unique and deeply connected to her culture. She’s gained a lot of recognition in the Native American art world, with her jewelry being showcased in various exhibitions and collections.

Winfield Trading Company, Tufa Cast Sterling Silver Ring with Mediterranean Red Coral, by Rebecca Begay.

“My paintings are born from the heartbeat of our ranch, where every day unfolds with the raw beauty of wildlife and Western life,” says Amanda Cowan. “The elk grazing in distant meadows, bison roaming vast plains, foxes darting through sagebrush and birds soaring above inspire my wildlife works.” Cowan’s art captures the grit and grace of cowboys, the loyalty of cow dogs and the spirited dance of horses—scenes drawn from the artist’s family and neighbors. “Each brushstroke is a tribute to our ranch’s rhythm, preserving moments of authenticity and connection to the wild, working West.”

Oklahoma-based artist Carolyn Mock’s love for her subject matter is evident in her award-winning work. “I hope that people will get more of an understanding of wildlife through my paintings, and treasure wildlife for the precious thing that it is. I also like to express my respect for the Western way of life that makes up so much of [my home state]. It is a deep, grained honesty and openness that is so much a part of what makes Oklahoma, ‘Oklahoma.’”

From left: Carolyn Mock, Morning Perch, oil, 20 x 10 in. Amanda Cowan, Timeless Friendship, oil, 24 x 18 in. Elena Golberg, Tatem, oil on canvas, 72 x 48 in.

Elena Golberg is captivated by the saguaro cactus, which she feels resembles humans from a distance. “There is a lot of strength in the form of the saguaro. As an artist, my goal is to find the right angle that conveys both its strength and balance. I enjoy combining the stability of the saguaro with the movement of clouds around it. The natural shapes of the cactus create dynamic compositions that complement contemporary Southwest interiors,” says the artist.

Although Patricia Ridge Bradleyworks in several mediums, she prefers soft pastel and oils to capture the extraordinary light and colors of the American Southwest, as well as European countries like Italy and France. The artist feels that soft pastel is uniquely suited to depict adobe structures and the sand and rocks of the desert. “There is no oil in soft pastel, so pastels possess the gritty feel of what I see. I especially enjoy painting adobe, since it is created from the earth by hand,” she says. Bradley is especially drawn to high contrast light and dramatic composition. “A painting must lead the viewer in, and invite them to stay a while. I want a collector to enjoy my paintings forever, to pause and look at it again and again,” says the artist. “There is always a story behind my paintings, they are experiential and sometimes allegorical, based on my life the way I see it.”

Top: Patricia Ridge Bradley, Hollyhocks at Ten O’Clock, soft pastel on sanded paper, 14 x 11 in. Patricia Ridge Bradley, The Sound of Flying Grouse, Taos Pueblo, oil on canvas, 14 x 11 in. Sarah Boston, Fertility, oil on board, 24 x 18 in. Bottom: Roopa Dudley, Anticipation, acrylic on canvas, 40 x 30 in. Shawn Cameron, Power Nap, oil on linen, 9 x 12 in.

Roopa Dudley was born in Karachi, Pakistan, and immigrated to the United States in 1988. Although she has been painting most of her life, she began painting professionally in 2012, and has since been published in a variety of art magazines and literary journals, both nationally and internationally. Currently residing in Maryland, Dudley also works as an art educator and is the author of A Strategic Painter - Mastermind Your Craft.

From left: Roopa Dudley, Immigrants, acrylic on canvas, 40 x 30 in. Sarah Boston, Blessings, oil on canvas, 24 x 36 in.

Lately, Sarah Boston is finding inspiration in the rich palette of Southwestern desert landscapes paired with strong feminine figures as divine anthropomorphic representations of Mother Earth. A recent move from Montana to southern Colorado has immersed her in the region’s diverse tapestry of culture and history. “I also experienced the loss of my mother to cancer earlier this year, and with that, I think, comes the focus on strong women and new beginnings. I’m using my art as a way to grieve and heal. I’m trying to add little pieces of her into my paintings. Little hellos that only I know are there.” Boston is also currently curating a show called Resonance at the A.R. Mitchell Museum of Western Art in Trinidad, Colorado.

Winfield Trading Company, tufa-cast sterling silver and 14k gold bracelet with Hubei turquoise and Mediterranean red coral, by Rebecca Begay.

“I believe artwork’s greatest value is in the personal pleasure it provides the viewer,” says artist Shawn Cameron. “We collect what we enjoy sitting and looking at time and again, and I advise others to do the same. We consider these pieces that provide comfort and enjoyment to be one of our best investments.” Cameron is represented by Pitzer’ s Fine Art Gallery in Wimberley, Texas.

From left: Shawn Cameron, So it Begins Again, oil on linen, 24 x 18 in. Shawn Cameron, The Hour Before Dawn, oil, 20 x 16 in. Tammy Liu-Haller, Grace, graphite and charcoal on Arches paper, 30 x 22 in.

Tammy Liu-Haller creates close-up animal portraits in high detail to invite the viewer into a moment of connection. “By focusing closely on each feature, I hope to encourage a deeper appreciation for the animal’s unique beauty and presence,” she says. “The drawing, Grace, captures a moment of quiet reflection…that silent awareness is what drew me in. I was inspired by the subtle beauty found in stillness and the quiet dignity that animals often carry without words. This horse, with its lowered head and gentle posture, feels like it’s listening to something only it can hear.” —