When Bronze Meets Bold: Star York and Maura Allen Shake Up Santa Fe

Picture this: You walk into a gallery and immediately feel like you've stepped into the most epic Western movie ever made—except instead of watching it, you're living it. That's exactly what happens when you combine Star Liana York's soul-stirring bronze sculptures with Maura Allen's graphic, high-contrast paintings. It's like pairing a perfectly aged whiskey with a shot of espresso: both incredible on their own, absolutely electric together.

This July, Sorrel Sky Gallery is serving up Stories in Bronze and Paint , and trust us, this isn't your typical art exhibition. This is what happens when two women who've dedicated their lives to capturing the essence of the American West decide to share the same space. Spoiler alert: magic happens.

If you've been following our gallery for more than five minutes, you already know Star Liana York is the patron saint of Western bronze sculpture. This woman has been creating masterpieces from her ranch near Abiquiu, New Mexico, for decades, and every time we think we've seen her best work, she goes and creates something that makes us question everything we thought we knew about art.

Star doesn't just sculpt figures—she sculpts stories. Her "Distant Thunder" doesn't just show an Apache mother racing against a storm; it embodies every parent who's ever faced impossible odds to protect their child. Her wildlife pieces don't just capture anatomical perfection; they reveal the individual personalities of the animals, as if each bronze creature might start moving at any moment.

"The West isn't just a place, it's a way of life," Star says, and honestly, we couldn't agree more. When you see her work, you understand that she's not just documenting Western life—she's preserving the spirit of it, one bronze at a time.

Now, if Star is the master of permanence and tradition, Maura Allen is the queen of capturing those blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moments that define the Western experience. This New Mexico-based artist sees the world "in graphic form," and the results are stunning.

Maura's paintings look like someone took the most cinematic moments of Western life and ran them through a filter of pure artistic genius. Think sunlight cutting through dust clouds, the silhouette of a cowboy against a blazing sunset, the geometric beauty of weathered barns standing proud against endless sky. Her work is simultaneously timeless and completely contemporary—like Instagram filters, but for cowboys and done by someone with serious artistic chops.

Her "Natural Order" collection celebrates strong women of the West (because let's be honest, who runs the world? Western women), while her "Love Notes: The American West" series pairs original postcards from the late 1800s with modern imagery. It's like time travel, but cooler.

Here's what we love about both these artists: they didn't just decide to paint or sculpt the West because it looked cool in movies. Star has been riding horses daily on her New Mexico ranch, living the life she sculpts. Maura grew up near the historic spot where Eadweard Muybridge took those famous stop-action images of running horses—you know, the ones that basically invented motion pictures? That childhood moment of seeing those images made such an impression that she's been chronicling the American West for more than two decades.

Both women have spent years with actual ranchers and wranglers as their guides, learning firsthand that many of the same cultural forces that shaped the historic West are still at play today. This isn't romantic nostalgia—this is the real deal, filtered through two incredibly talented artistic perspectives.

What makes Stories in Bronze and Paint so special isn't just that we're showing two amazing artists (though we are). It's that Star and Maura approach the same subject matter from completely different angles and somehow create this incredible dialogue.

Star's bronzes give you the weight and permanence of Western traditions—pieces you can walk around, touch (okay, maybe don't touch the art), and experience in three dimensions. Maura's paintings capture the ephemeral moments—the play of light and shadow, the fleeting expressions, the geometric beauty of Western landscapes that photographers and filmmakers have been chasing for decades.

Together, they show you that the American West isn't just one story—it's thousands of stories, all happening simultaneously, all worthy of preservation and celebration.

Let's talk about some bragging rights for a minute. Maura was selected as the featured artist for Double D Ranch's 2025 Holiday Collection (if you know fashion, you know this is a huge deal). She's been a Cowgirl Up! artist for 15 years and serves on the boards of major Western museums. Star is one of Southwest Art Magazine's 30 most influential artists, with pieces in the Smithsonian and collections across the country.

But here's what's even cooler: both these women are still actively creating, still pushing boundaries, still finding new ways to tell Western stories in a world that desperately needs them.

Stories in Bronze and Paint opens with an artist reception on Friday, July 11, from 5-7 p.m. , and we're pretty sure this is going to be one of those receptions where everyone's still talking about the art hours after it officially ends. The exhibition runs through July 31 , giving you plenty of time to experience how bronze and paint can tell the same stories in completely different ways.

Whether you're a serious collector, a Western art enthusiast, or someone who just appreciates the hell out of great storytelling, this exhibition offers something you won't find anywhere else: the chance to see the American West through the eyes of two women who've dedicated their lives to understanding and preserving its essence.

Come for the art, stay for the stories, leave with a deeper appreciation for why the Western spirit continues to captivate artists and collectors around the world.

Fair warning : You might find yourself planning a trip to New Mexico or Texas after seeing this show. Don't say we didn't warn you.