Denim Darlings

“There are stories all around us—the best are closest to home.”

The American West — both real and romanticized — is the center of Maura Allen’s work. Starting on location at ranches and rodeos, she magically weaves past and present, Old West and new, to create original contemporary paintings, sculpture and fine art glass pieces. New collections by the artist include “Natural Order,” which celebrates strong women of the West, and “Love Notes: The American West,” featuring original postcard messages dating back to the late 1800s along with her modern-day imagery. Texas-based Double D Ranch, the premier lifestyle brand of the West, selected Maura as the brand’s featured artist for its sought-after Holiday Collection, which is set to premiere Fall 2025. Maura grew up in Northern California around the corner from Stanford University where the historic Eadweard Muybridge stop-action images of a running horse were taken and now displayed. Seeing that image as a young girl made a lasting imprint. She studied Latin/Classical Studies at Stanford, learning how iconic figures, myth and moments shape and define a culture. Two-plus decades ago, she began chronicling the American West with ranchers and wranglers as her trusted guides and realized many of the same cultural forces are at play.Maura’s work is included in museum, corporate and private collections, sold in top galleries, and has been featured in dozens of publications. She is a 15-year Cowgirl Up! artist and a member of the Coors Western Art Exhibit & Sale (Denver, CO) line-up, as well as Women’s Work, organized by Cowgirl Artists of America in conjunction with A.R. Mitchell Museum in Trinidad, CO. Maura serves on the Board of Trustees of the Desert Caballeros Western Museum and on the Board of Directors of photolucida, a photography non-profit with national reach.