Nine at Coors Western Art Exhibit 2025

“Effective painting is the culmination of a vast array of elements and vision. The true joy in painting is to be able to effectively use these elements to produce works that really speak to the viewer - to have one’s vision come through.” — Ned Aldrich

In his sophisticated portraits, Ned Aldrich is dedicated to reaching beyond the realistic rendering of wildlife in wild places, conveying the inherent being of an animal. His goal as an artist is to keep exploring the concept of putting life into his paintings - invoking the thrill of witnessing a cougar or wolf in the wild.

Aldrich earned a B.F.A. from the Rhode Island School of Design and is a member of the Society of Animal Artists and Oil Painters of America. His work is held in permanent collections including Morgan Stanley Inc., Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, and Wisconsin’s Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum, where his paintings are also regularly featured in their prestigious exhibition, “Birds in Art.” Aldrich has exhibited at important art institutions such as the National Wildlife Art Museum, The Rockwell Museum, and The Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum as well as in over a dozen solo exhibitions nationally. He lives and creates in Colorado.

“For centuries, the West has represented beginnings, not endings, a place where experimentation and the pioneering spirit — no matter your passion — has enough sky to thrive." — Maura Allen

Maura Allen portrays the American West-ranching life, cowboys, cowgirls, Native Americans, and the native flora of the landscape with rich texture, vibrant color, and dynamic patterns to achieve a contemporary, cinematic quality that is her signature painting style. With 35+ years as a black and white photographer and two decades as a painter, Allen brings unique vision and skill to her work. To begin her creative process, Allen looks directly into the sun, drawing inspiration from a stark silhouette and obscured details. She uses wood, steel, and glass as her surfaces.

Allen’s work is included in private, corporate, and museum collections nationwide and has been shown in major exhibitions at the Tucson Museum of Art, Old West Museum, Desert Caballeros Western Museum, and Pearce Museum. Her painting “Belvidere” was selected as the official Cheyenne Frontier Days 2016 poster image, the first time a cowgirl image will be featured in the rodeo’s century-long history. Her work is featured regularly in top art publications, including a cover feature in Southwest Art Magazine in 2014.

"I create multiple layers of experience that demonstrate the significance of observing life both sequentially and simultaneously.” — Maeve Eichelberger

A native of Colorado, Maeve Eichelberger masterfully captures the essence of both urban and rural lifestyles in her innovative 3-dimensional collage artwork. Utilizing Plexiglass for its modern, durable, and transparent qualities, she delves into the depths of layering, honoring the diverse vitalities of the American West through the lenses of lifestyle, nature, and textiles.

Maeve’s unique creative process begins with photographing by theme, whether man-made or natural, and then juxtaposing these images based on fundamental design elements such as line, pattern, and form. These compositions are digitally translated, printed on Plexiglass, and meticulously cut into geometric shapes before being assembled into captivating 3-D works that deconstruct traditional Western imagery.

Through her art, Maeve creates nostalgic and beautiful interpretations of the ever-changing environment, infusing each piece with a sense of significance in observing life both sequentially and simultaneously. With her passion for collage and her distinctive use of materials, Maeve offers a fresh perspective on the American West, inviting viewers to immerse themselves in the multiple layers of experience that define this iconic region.

“The horse is the figure through which I actualize my ideas. It becomes a tangible bridge between the viewer and me." — Lisa Gordon

Born and raised in Southern California, Lisa Gordon now lives and works in Santa Fe, New Mexico. As a teen, she rode, cared for, and trained horses. Those treasured memories and her deeply rooted love for horses are reflected in her bronze sculptures.

Gordon received her MFA from California State University, Fullerton, in 1992. During her education, she developed a passion for bronze casting. The connection between the casting process and her fondness for horses is clearly seen in her powerful, yet sensitive sculptures. For her, the relationship that she develops with a horse while grooming and bonding through touch mirrors the feeling of running her fingers over wax as it warms and molds into muscles and gestures that evolve into a horse’s form and in turn into a sculpture.

Breathing new life into a historical subject, Gordon’s sculptures show horses balanced on spheres, walking through hoops, straddling pedestals, swaying on rockers, or bouncing on springs. These powerful creatures in whimsical scenes are a metaphor for the human experience, demonstrating the balance between having fun and giving life purpose. 

“Horses are powerful, but that’s not what they need in a situation of precarious balance. They’re massive, physical beings, but there’s a frailty and delicacy of the legs—much like the human soul.”

“I’ve applied the bronc rider mentality to the artwork, and it’s served me well." — Greg Kelsey 

Greg Kelsey is an active cowboy and artist, and his work is reflective of Western lifestyles, traditions, and history. Greg is mostly a self-taught artist and considers himself a storyteller and wants the viewer to feel the movement, action, and mindset of his subjects. Kelsey keeps cattle, horses, a strict studio schedule, and has a family of four in his busy daily life. Greg and his wife Terah, daughter, and son reside in Ignacio, Colorado.

Greg feels he is living the dream and is inspired daily by his blessed life. Greg’s work has won multiple awards, including the Award of Excellence from the American Plains Artists’ Show, People’s Choice at the CM Russell Art Auction, and Best Sculpture at Quest for the West.

“Whether it’s buckin’ horses, ropin’, pushin’ cows, or whatever, that’s where I get my inspiration for art.”

“My love of animals is innately part of me. As a child, I was a captive audience to their amazing show. What I learned from them has been priceless …" — Amy Lay 

For Amy Lay, residing in and drawing inspiration from mountain hideaways in Wyoming and the Wallowa Mountains of Northeastern Oregon, feeds her love and fascination for the animals, wildlife, and ecology surrounding her. Primarily self-taught but grateful for her Art Degree from Eastern Oregon University, Amy’s career has evolved from childhood dream to strong reality.

Her works are primarily created with oil pigment with graphite and charcoal. A bold use of color and powerful yet simple design, influenced by years of painting in watercolor, lend an ephemeral quality to her highly recognizable work. A unique distinction in the genre is her limited use of reference. Relying on memory and creative gestures in her subjects, gives her animals a very distinct non-photographic brand. Her work dances across the often thick line between realism and abstraction, traditional and contemporary, appealing to a wide range of art lovers and collectors.

"I want to capture the essence of a subject more than the specifics. If the work is loose and a bit undone, there is more room for the viewer to interpret, to access the painting through their own imaginings." — Jerry Markham  

For Jerry Markham, painting is not so much about the subject as what draws and inspires him to paint each piece and how it is expressed. With a variety of subject matter including landscapes, figures, still life, and urban scenes, Jerry enjoys painting anything that captures his interest.

Always the consummate student, he continually strives to evolve and grow as a painter, often tackling subject matter that challenges him, whether by pushing the composition, altering light or color, or experimenting with how the paint is applied. 

“I like to start out quite loose and somewhat abstract, allowing the picture to evolve in front of me. Trying not to get too bossy with the paint; allowing it room to move while pulling out the form of the whole. I feel this helps keep the painting from getting too tight or content-driven. I have found paintings like this more interesting to view, so I try to paint that way. It is a challenge to keep it loose, yet keep the drawing accurate without getting too tight with the process, but I am learning. It is the struggle to balance form and content.”

“I paint because I need to.” — Elsa Sroka 

A Colorado native, Elsa Sroka is from a family of eight, all of whom share a love of art and design. Her inspiration can be selective, as when drawn from early childhood memories; particularly hours spent drawing at the kitchen table with her brothers and sisters overseen by their father.

While Elsa paints a variety of subjects, all exude a forward-thinking, contemporary attitude. Finding inspiration from many sources including the various landscapes discovered in her travels, elements found in architecture, her own imagination, and most importantly her love of animals. It’s not unusual for her to destroy a large portion of the piece in progress, ultimately resurrecting it through layer after layer, creating meaning and form in the process.

In Elsa’s cow series, expression is the most important element; infusing the subject with personality. Emotional connection is necessary before painting can begin. She finds inspiration in imagining cows in unconventional settings; a conscious departure from the traditional context found in much Western art. She believes the ordinary subject becomes significantly more intriguing when misplaced, inviting the viewer to pay attention through the element of surprise. This idea can apply to many different subjects, encouraging appreciation of the more subtle qualities of beauty.

Recently Elsa has been taking more time to study with a well-known inspiring artist in hopes of enriching her art and to have a solid understanding of different visual approaches. She is not interested in painting robotically for the sake of getting more art on gallery walls. She wants each piece to feel complete and satisfy her intentions. She is particularly interested in the interplay of different mediums, along with the challenge presented in manipulating traditional methods. In the end, if Elsa is able to emotionally engage the viewer, she feels her work is complete.

“When a character emerges from a work I am sculpting, I feel touched at a deeply intimate, subconscious level. It is the essence in a work of art that makes it intensely personal and entirely universal at the same time.” — Star Liana York

Since moving to the Southwest in 1985, Star Liana York has been creating a vast body of work that reflects her interest in the people, animals, environment, and history of the region. A continuing source of inspiration for her bronze sculptures comes from exploring the native peoples of the Southwest and the mythology of ancient sacred sites. She is an avid horsewoman, riding daily on her ranch near Abiquiu, New Mexico, where she finds inspiration surrounded by the vast open vistas.

York is one of Southwest Art Magazine's 30 most influential artists. In 2013, she was selected as an Honorary Artist at The Millicent Rogers Museum in Taos, NM, and received the Artist Choice Award at the National Cowgirls Museum and Hall of Fame in Fort Worth, TX. Her monumental bronze sculptures are held in collections across the country including the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C.; Miami Zoo in Miami, Florida, and Millicent Rogers Museum in Taos, NM.