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For Maura Allen, the American West is not a fixed story, but one still being written. Drawing on her background in photography and shaped by the teachings of Sam Abell, she builds her compositions with intention—layer by layer, moment by moment. In this interview, Allen shares how history, light, and lived experience inform her work, and how her focus on women’s perspectives reframes the narratives we associate with the West.
I’m fortunate to have learned from and be mentored by Sam Abell, a 30+ year National Geographic photographer and exceptional teacher. He is the master of layers, of compose and wait, of building a photographic image from the back forward — sky, clouds, crowd, chutes, cowboy (in my world!) — of micro-compositions or finding stories within stories. Applying that approach to the way I make images changed the way I work and see the world as a photographer and painter.
In the decades I’ve focused on life in the West, I’ve thought more deeply about the history of the American West and the role photography and film played in shaping our ideas of the West. Photography and the West grew up together, they are forever entwined. If there had been more women photographers and early Western film makers, would our “view” of history be different? If more women were photographed and celebrated in all their roles and work in the West, would our ideas be less romanticized? Would the hero of the story be different? Those questions have led me to focus on women in the West — on celebrating their work, their friendships, their role as daughters, sisters, mothers, as stewards of the land and animals.
I love to be in Montana for the summer solstice — the sun goes down at 9:30 or 10pm. It’s heaven for a photographer and artist; the magic of the golden hour seems to stretch on and on.
This pair of paintings started on a summer solstice weekend in the Mission Mountains of Montana. I wanted to feel the land … the vibration, the color, the Native American heritage… in each piece. I wanted the fading, sideways light of the day to come through, as well as the energy of the moment (in Dance) and the quiet of the moment (in Peace). So much of the Native American heritage is about combining elements that to many appear to be opposites, but together make a whole. A complete story. My goal was to honor that.
I partnered with an incredible woman for this painting, which was part of the Cowgirl Artists of America “Women’s Work” show that was featured at the AR Mitchell Museum in Trinidad, CO. The adventure started early — the work ahead was driving 70+ mamas and calves to a cooler, grassier high pasture. It’s a team effort with Christine Louden and her family – parents, brother, niece and nephew and more – working in sync, each with a key role in the effort. Halfway up the rocky mountain climb, Christine and Gray Horse took a break to have a chat. The painting celebrates that moment and the work of women in the West.
The West is wide open skies and often defined by its big expanses — but can its memorable beauty also be small? I think so. The power of the silhouetted western “characters” mixed with the colors of the place are proof of that.
