Altamira Fine Art in Jackson Hole, WY is pleased to present an exhibition of new work by Maura Allen September 29-October 13, 2026.
Please join us for the Opening Reception on Friday, October 2nd from 5-7pm.
Long Shadows Home
“Ultimately, each painting I create begins with a real place and moment in the American West, which I believe is an important distinction, especially in a time when moments can be conjured up and artificially manufactured. Through my process of simplifying, layering and reimagining, my goal is to create a compelling visual story the viewer can enter and make their own.”- Maura Allen
Maura Allen works across multiple mediums, blending elements from each discipline. With photography as the foundation, her most recent works move away from documentation toward interpretation. She explores the relationship between people, animals and the land, and the sense of belonging that can exist within a place we call home. Her own home of Abiquiu, New Mexico, long a source of inspiration for artists, has played a role in the shift. Surrounded by massive geological formations, the magic of the terrain encourages one to pause, reflect and observe closely. “In this new series, light, atmosphere and open space have become as important as the figures themselves. I’m interested in what can be removed as much as what can be added. I’m allowing larger areas of sky, landscape and shadow to carry the composition, giving the figures more room to exist within their surroundings rather than dominate them.”, Allen says.
Maura Allen spends much of her time in the field: on ranches, at rodeos, camera in hand, capturing not only the action, but the moments of quiet in between. “The waiting, the preparation, the relationships between people and horses, and those brief moments when light completely transforms a scene. Those quieter observations have become increasingly important to me—and this body of work.”, the artist explains. Back in her studio, her photos are the starting point for the stories that she will then tell in paint. “I may crop tight, remove information, shift scale, flatten areas into color or silhouette. I like the tension between what is photographic and what is invented—what is real and what is romanticized.”, says Allen.
Maura Allen is an award- winning artist whose work is featured in museum, corporate and private collections nationwide. Her paintings and glass were recently showcased by Double D Ranch, in its top-selling women’s clothing and jewelry collection. She is a fifteen-year participant in the Sigler Western Museum’s annual Cowgirl Up! exhibition. Cowboys & Indians Magazine dubbed Allen “the Warhol of the West.” She serves on the board of trustees of the Sigler Western Museum, and on the board of directors of Leica Society International and photolucida, a global photography collective. Allen lives in Abiquiu, New Mexico.
Pre-sales are available. Contact the gallery for details, 307-739-4700/ connect@altamiraart.com.
More images added soon...
