Maura Kendrick Allen

Seattle, Washington

Artist's Statement

I was born and raised in California, yet my love for the West truly took hold 15 years ago during a trip to Wyoming.

Since then, I have visited dozens of rodeos and ranches throughout the West. The most memorable was during a week-long stay on a working ranch in Avon, Montana run by three generations of cowboys. It was during this time in Avon, a region just north of Missoula, that I photographed under the guidance of photographer Jay Dusard. Our group rose early and didn't stop shooting until well after the sun went down. Through the lens I learned about the cowboy ethos, everything from routine ranch chores to the deep pride the rancher's have for their work and Western way of life.

Now, each year, I look forward to discovering small Western towns and rodeos, and capturing the people and events that make each locale unique.

I work on wood, creating, scraping and carving layers for depth. Incorporating images from my own photographs, I combine the simplicity of black and white photography with the complexity and layering of painting. Using serigraph (silkscreen) printing and other techniques, I create mixed media paintings that incorporate the grain and texture of the wood together with found objects.

My Monumental West work is a series of mixed media pieces inspired by the cowboys and ranchers of Montana, Wyoming, and California. My Signs of the City series includes mixed media pieces of old, fading signs marking local bars, restaurants, car washes and more from small towns and urban areas throughout the country.

I work from my studio in Seattle, Washington--and make Livingston, MT my home base (www.welcomecabin.com) when photographing cowboys and the West.