Maura Allen was born in Northern California and currently resides in Abiquiu, New Mexico. Allen earned her Bachelor of Arts in Classical Studies/Latin from Stanford University where she studied how iconic figures, myth and moments define a culture. When she later began photographing the American West with ranchers and wranglers as her trusted guides, she observed the same cultural forces at play. The enduring spirit of the American West — both real and romanticized — is at the center of Maura Allen’s mixed media paintings. Allen’s black and white photographic images made on location at ranches and rodeos serves as a starting point for her mixed media paintings. The award-winning black and white photographer often starts on the ground looking into the sun. Using her viewfinder, grit and light, she captures strong, iconic silhouettes – details obscured –which have become core to her signature style. In her studio, the artist often weaves “Old West” elements such as vintage wallpaper designs, typography and other symbols with modern day imagery, evoking a timeless quality that bridges past and present. When not in the studio or on a ranch, Allen teaches at Santa Fe Workshops and speaks frequently about her artistic process and the role of women in the West. Her artwork has been widely shown in juried exhibitions including Coors Western Art Exhibit & Sale (Denver, CO 2024); in museum exhibitions at the Tucson Museum of Art (Tucson, AZ 2015-2016), Pearce Museum (Corsicana, TX 2014), Denver Arts Commission (Denver, CO 2014), Desert Caballeros Western Museum (Wickenburg, AZ 2011-2024), and more. Allen and her work have been featured in prominent publications including Southwest Art Magazine, Western Art & Architecture, Cowboys & Indians and Western Art Collector Magazine. Awards include Cowgirl Up! Artists’ Choice (2013); Pearce Museum New Look at the West Tin Star Award (2014); Desert Caballeros Western Museum Purchase Award (2014), and the Rene di Rosa Award of Merit Hearts of San Francisco Artist Grant. Maura’s work is in numerous museum, corporate and private collections nationwide.