All you've heard is true. Women in the arts were often kept from opportunities of their era—and not all that long ago. Considered the “fairer sex,” it was socially unacceptable for women to render the nude figure, let alone participate in an academy class that employed live models.
Adrienne Stein, Dancing Women I, oil on canvas, 24 x 36" Women were also often labeled as “less than” their male counterparts, and considered inferior on a multitude of levels, including having a lower intellect, and therefore incapable of making worthwhile contributions. This “curse” kept women from participating on a serious level at annual salons, earning solo exhibitions at prominent museums and galleries, and henceforth, leaving their names scattered to the winds of history.
Despite all these attempts to marginalize women in the visual arts (and in many other arenas), all is not lost. Although it has been a much longer, rougher road for female artists, not only have they risen through the ranks, but have inspired change, revolutionized their fields and ignited trends.
clockwise from left: Mardie Rees in her studio in Gig Harbor, Washington, with Saint Anne. Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, Pink Tulip, 1925, oil on canvas, 31¾ x 12”. Museum Purchase. [2023.6.1], by Georgia O’Keeffe; Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, Georgia O’Keeffe in Abiquiu Living Room, 1980, chromogenic print, 10 x 715/16”. Gift of The Georgia O’Keeffe Foundation. © Mary E. Nichols. [2006.6.953], by Mary Nichols.
One such artist immediately comes to mind, and that is Georgia O’Keeffe. “By the mid-1920s, O’Keeffe was recognized as one of America’s most important and successful artists, known for her paintings of New York skyscrapers—an essentially American symbol of modernity—as well as her equally radical depictions of flowers,” notes the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe. “In the summer of 1929, O’Keeffe made the first of many trips to Northern New Mexico. The stark landscape and Native American and Hispanic cultures of the region inspired a new direction in O’Keeffe’s art. For the next two decades she spent most summers living and working in New Mexico.”
O’Keeffe’s personal style and aesthetic permeated not only her artwork, but the very way she lived her life, inspiring the museums exhibition Georgia O’Keeffe: Making a Life, on view through November 2, 2025. Her home, fashion and surroundings in New Mexico inspired an incredible look and feel that is all her own.
Clockwise from left: Blue Rain Gallery, See, Swan, blown, hand sculpted and engraved glass, steel, 80 x 39 x 12”, by Shelley Muzylowski Allen; Blue Rain Gallery, Out of Sign, blown and hot sculpted glass, 10 x 15 x 10”, by Shelley Muzylowski Allen; Altamira Fine Art, Monday Morning, oil on canvas, 60 x 72”, by Erica Vhay.
Today, we see women artists succeeding, advancing and given more opportunity due to the foundation that our predecessors created. Gaining in popularity, are exhibitions and shows that are honoring the many woman artists of the past, finally giving them a voice and a platform that is long overdue.
One such contemporary artist to watch for is Adrienne Stein, producing impressive ethereal, figurative work. Writer and artist Vanessa Françoise Rothe, describes Stein’s work: “[She] evokes the splendor of nature, the words of writers John Keats and Shakespeare, and romantic masterpieces by 19th-century artists John William Waterhouse and Dante Gabriel Rossetti. Created in a keen and accomplished realism, along with unique color harmony, [her] paintings also have a place in modern art collections. Her skillfully rendered female figures intertwine and become one with the natural flora and fauna elements that surround them. This winning combination of distinctive subject matter and advanced technical skill, have made an unforgettable impression on art lovers and have placed Stein among today’s contemporary masters.”
Top: Blue Rain Gallery, Zebra Netsuke Pot, blown and hot sculpted glass with horsehair and twine, 33½ x 10 x 9”, by Shelley Muzylowski Allen; Altamira Fine Art, I Think This is Serious, oil on panel, 40 x 60”, by Mary Robertson. Bottom: Altamira Fine Art, Portent, Glass – Jade Green, glass and steel, 14 x 17 x 4”, by Stephanie Revennaugh; American Artists Professional League, Worn Weathered Wonderful, colored pencil, 12 x 8”, by Andrea Placer; American Artists Professional League, Secrets, charcoal pencil and pan pastel on toned paper, 10½ x 8½”, by Mika Denny.
For works like Dancing Women I, Stein explains, “I plan the composition based on my inner vision and then gather photo references. My models are often my sisters or friends, and I create a ‘set’ with costumes and props and then do a photo shoot with the model to have a variety of poses at my disposal. The still life elements I sometimes paint from life, or are a composite of painting from life and collected photo references.”
Yet another contemporary master of her craft, artist Mardie Rees has earned acclaim for her large-scale statues, bas relief medallions and busts. “I have always preferred work with movement, gesture, fingerprints and visible tool marks on the work, but without the loss of detail that is necessary to bring humanity, soul and emotion to the piece,” says Rees. “Some works require more texture and others are smoother; the emotion I am looking for always supersedes any particular technique.”
Rees adds that more recently, she sculpted her first octogenarian, Saint Anne, with a live model, Sister Anne, of the Franciscans. “I thoroughly enjoyed capturing her age and wisdom in the work, and I loved our conversations while we worked,” says the artist.
33PA, Reflection, oil on canvas, 18 x 18”, by Daryl Zang; American Artists Professional League, Krispy Kreme, graphite, 6 x 8”, by Shana Bowes.
Continue reading to learn more about the talented women artists working today, see their contemporary creations, and hear their insights on their craft.
Shelley Muzylowski Allen’s artwork, on display at Blue Rain Galleryin Santa Fe, New Mexico, and Durango, Colorado, masterfully merges dreamlike depictions of fauna with symbols of mythology, magic and divinity. Drawing upon her background in painting, she skillfully breathes life into her sculptures using glassblowing, hot sculpting and a variety of materials, including horsehair, shells and beads. Her works, often suspended in moments of tension, evoke timeless myths and legends through intricate representations of creatures and symbolic forms. The artist notes, “By recalling myths and legends through animal forms, I hope to convey a place that different species have occupied over time.”
Clockwise from left: 33PA, 1961 Honda 50, acrylic on canvas, 36 x 24”, by Shannon Fannin; K.L. McKenna, Flying E Ranch Road, WY, oil on linen, 32 x 28”; K.L. McKenna, On Top of the Big Horns, oil on linen, 32 x 28”
Her sculptures offer a profound exploration of where nature, mythology and spirituality converge, reflecting the passage of time and the interconnectedness of all life. Muzylowski Allen’s work not only adds a visually striking element to any collection but also serves as a thought-provoking piece that sparks reflection on the deeper relationships between life, myth and the natural world.
Debbie Korbel, Silver, mixed media, 48 x 68 x 18”
Altamira Fine Art, specializing in Western contemporary art, also offers fine art examples in range of options, including oil painting, acrylic, contemporary glass and bronze, as well as digital art installation and mixed media. Among their talented roster are many talented female artists such as Eric Vhay, known for capturing the emotion and movement in a moment in time, and her fascination with patterns and negative shapes. Mary Robertson features her animal and wildlife paintings, as seen in examples like her bear painting, I Think This is Serious. Stephanie Revennaugh presents her unique vision in sculpture, with a primary focus on her lifelong love—the horse.
These beautiful, one of a kind creations can be found at Altamira Fine Art’s locations in Scottsdale, Arizona, and Jackson, Wyoming.
In Secrets, which is part of the American Artists Professional League’s Realism on the Hudson show at the Howland Cultural Center, Mika Denny captures the tension between openness and restraint. Her subject’s gaze is intense yet cautious. Half of her face recedes into shadow, enhancing the mystery. Using pastel and charcoal, Denny played with softness and contrast to draw the viewer in, prompting the desire to know the unspoken story beneath the surface. In another show highlight, Worn, Weathered, Wonderful,artist Andrea Placer was inspired by a scene in Umbria, Italy, whose warm colors, varied surfaces and textures moved her. Although time has taken its toll, the beauty remains.
Top: 33PA, Extreme Ways, matte and transparent Lego plates, 15 x 15”, by Pauline Aubey; Cher Anderson, Aussie Banks, acrylic, 24 x 32”. Bottom: Cher Anderson, Phoebe’s Fire, acrylic, 15 x 24”; Cher Anderson, Tempting Fate, watercolor, 13 x 20” Krispy Kreme, available on the AAPL website as part of the Affordable Works Sale, was one of Shana Bowes’ favorite restaurants during college when studying for exams. The location has been a staple in Atlanta since 1965. “These three drawings by AAPL artists highlight subjects they feel connected to, showcasing rich textures, contrast and subtle details that capture their essence,” says an AAPL representative.
Represented by 33PA and the collective known as the PoetsArtists, are contemporary women artists like Shannon Fannin Her highly realistic 1961 Honda 50 won Best Composition in the National Oil & Acrylic Society’s Best of America exhibition hosted at Cutter & Cutter Fine Art. The piece exemplifies the artist’s fascination with the reflections and sleek lines of vehicles and motorcycles. Fannin made the correlation between vehicle bodies and the figurative drawings she had been making.
Artist Daryl Zang concentrates on the female figure and whimsical imagery, found in works like Reflection—from the artist’s Bubble series. Another highlight from the collective is artist Paulina Aubey and her LEGO portraits, merging popular form with popular content in order to question our relationship to celebrity.
Top: K.L. McKenna, Horse Tails, oil on linen, 32 x 36”; Lisa Sprietsma, Between the Blossoms and the Lemons, oil on canvas, 53 x 44”; Udy Edet, Glimpse of a Willow, oil on ink board, 18 x 36”. Bottom: Lisa Sprietsma, Four Strings and a Wish, oil on canvas, 47 x 59”. Lynn Waltke, Closed for the Night, colored pencil and ink on board, 8 x 11”Inspired by a passion for wildlife and concern for species conservation, artist Cher Anderson focuses on birds, and their beauty and place on this planet. “Through the use of acrylic paints and watercolors, I strive to bring to life their beauty within their natural environment through hyper-realism,” says Anderson. “I am constantly working to learn and take my art to new levels not only through technique, but creativity and use of color. As for Anderson’s driving force, she uses her art as a vehicle to aid in the support of wildlife conservation by donating a large percentage of her sales to various organizations throughout the world.
“I have always thought that horses were enchanting beasts, so my inspiration to create them in my work was very natural to me,” says artist Debbie Korbel. “I prefer to use unusual materials, and create wild and unconventional art. I collect and use found objects like scrap metal, wood, glass, wire and more, and combine those things to create something entirely new. In creating Silver, I loved how the twisted aluminum wire suggests not only the recoiled muscle-mass but the pent-up energy, beauty and strength of a horse.”
Find Korbel’s work at Hawthorne Gallery in Big Sur, California.
Top row: Lynn Waltke, Under the Palm Frond, colored pencil, ink, acrylic on board, 12 x 18”; Kathy Armstrong, Crystal & Petunias, watercolor, 14 x 14”. Middle row: Udy Edet, Maidens and Dragons: Guardian, oil on canvas, 32 x 32”; Priscilla Nelson, Return, oil on board, 24 x 18”; Lynn Waltke, Detoured for Nesting, acrylic on linen, 24 x 18” Bottom row: Priscilla Nelson, There’s a Girl Out There, oil on board, 24 x 20”; Zoey Zamarripa, Still Life in Yellow, oil on linen, 30 x 22”; Star Liana York, Eclipse, bronze, 23 x 23 x 6”K.L. McKenna’s luminous and colorful landscape paintings reveal a profound attachment to the natural geology and essence of place in her oil paintings of Wyoming, Colorado, Montana, Utah and Arizona. Monumental rock formations meet bodies of water; angular roads eerily cut through landscapes seemingly uninhabited; endless sky and natural geometries dominate through skillful fusion between the abstract and the figurative. “I aim to create indelible images that are uniquely individual, each with their own identity, personality and purpose while at the same time, exhibiting a recognizable voice,” McKenna explains. “If you love to collect post-impressionism, these paintings pay tribute to the era with glowing, creative color and shape.”
Setting up a still life scene in her studio is Lisa Sprietsma’s main inspiration for her paintings. “If anyone has ever been in a dark room and stared at fruit that is lit up with a single light, you will know, it’s quite fascinating!,” shares the artist. “There are so many colors and shadows and nuances of reflections in the shadows. The fruit seems to glow in the most beautiful colors you’ve ever seen.”
Star Liana York, Roly Poly, bronze, 9 x 13 x 6½”Sprietsma lives in a very rural part of Southern Arizona, and is inspired by the beauty of the surrounding mountains and gorgeous skies. “The nickname for these mountains is Sky Islands, and it is very fitting, because they seem to occur like little pieces of land in a vast ocean of sky, even though many of the mountains are quite high in elevation,” she says. “I love the juxtaposition between these elements in my paintings.”
For Lynn Waltke, her inspiration is creating art that is nature focused and driven. “As a retired teacher, I consider myself a life-long learner, so when launching a new artwork, I research it thoroughly, even if I think I know a lot about it. I love clouds, leaves, rocks, bees, birds, snakes, spiders, sunsets and, always, color. I also love discovering new combinations of mediums and media. Pulling a stylus through a layer of acrylic or pressing it onto paper before using colored pencils produces unique results that are exciting and spur me on. Plus, my art truly rejuvenates me and feeds my soul. It enhances my life, provides peace, joy, fulfilling my life purpose.”
Artist Udy Edet has earned a following of collectors in the Southwest and across the country. Her work in oil on backgrounds of alcohol pigments has evolved into a focus on florals and landscapes, women at peace and dragons. All her work displays her mastery of color, and her gifted presentation of a color palette spans her canvases. “My dragon series portrays a unique mythology of protection and nurturing,” she adds. Her paintings have been displayed in juried museum exhibitions and gallery shows. She shows her work in the Phoenix area and Southern California.
Priscilla Nelson, Tickle Me Pink, oil on board, 24 x 20”; Kathy Armstrong, Rise & Shine, watercolor, 20 x 18”; Zoey Zamarripa, A Garden View, oil on linen, 40 x 40” “Light touches the world and immediately brings it to life,” says Kathy Armstrong. “It shapes everything in its path, speaking in imagery—that is what inspires me most in painting. Trying to capture that light, whether intense or subtle, is the driving force behind my love of creating art. Any subject matter can be interesting, moving or beautiful depending on the quality of that light. I am continually balancing out painting the man-made with painting the natural world. I’m interested in the intersection of the two. My art is representational, and I paint primarily in watercolor. Bringing a painting to life from a blank sheet of paper never gets old.”
When creating her piece Crystal and Petunias, Armstrong was fascinated by the play of light on a still life. About her piece Rise & Shine, she says, “This was what we heard each Saturday morning when I was growing up, and breakfast always included orange juice. The light pouring through the segments of these oranges made them glow and threw shadows on the cutting board beneath.”
The central inspiration for Priscilla Nelson’s art has always been the human figure. “Always in a representational sense, never in the abstract,” she says. “For this series, I was inspired by the music I listen to while painting. Music has always been integral to my creative process. These works are a reflection of that music. Return is a reflection on something that has been lost; There’s a Girl out There, represents a desire to connect with an ideal; and Tickle Me Pinkreflects on the anticipation of appreciation.”
Zoey Zamarripa, Pewabic Fountain, oil on canvas, 18 x 36” Star Liana York finds that she’s always influenced by her perceptions of certain people she meets, as well as animals (both wild and domestic) with whom she’s experienced memorable moments. She also includes the mysterious, magical sensations of living in the Southwest—with all its aesthetic and spiritual complexities—among her inspiration.
“The most satisfying aspect of my work as an artist lies in the process of creating an image that reflects a deeply emotional feeling—one that comes from a subconscious level so it’s difficult ( if not impossible) to express in words,” shares York. “Once I’ve chosen an idea to sculpt, the process of creating the three-dimensional image reveals to me what I have responded to at the intuitive, gut level in making that choice. When I begin sculpting, I rarely have a definite idea of the character’s face (whether human or animal) and I let its personality emerge. As it does, it is as if it comes to life entirely on its own, my hands following intuitively. I feel this is the essence of art for me, when the process produces a work that surprises me as it’s completed. It is intensely personal, yet at the same time entirely universal.”
Star Liana York, The Joke, bronze, 11 x 16 x 11”
Zoey Zamarripa moves through life striving to be observant. “When I see something pleasing, intriguing or affecting, I imprint it in my memory with its subtleties,” she explains. “I also rely on my own photos. These references are a starting point. Each painting is ultimately an amalgam of my response to the original scene, the moments I documented and my imagination.”
Zamarripa also finds the process of planning and painting exhilarating, with a focus on what will enhance the artwork’s vitality and what can be omitted. “For me, colors are key; whether I am working in a varied or limited palette, there has to be a harmonious feeling. “It’s extremely satisfying to finish a piece, knowing the love and work that went into it. It’s even more affirming to be able to share it with the wider world, realizing the inspiration it can offer others.”
Featured Artists & Galleries
33PA/PoetsArtists
www.poetsandartists.com
Adrienne Stein
www.adriennestein.com
Altamira Fine Art
7038 E. Main Street, Scottsdale, AZ 85251
(480) 949-1256
www.altamiraart.com
Art by Udy
Tucson, AZ, (301) 332-1082
artbyudy@gmail.com
www.artbyudy.com
Blue Rain Gallery
544 S. Guadalupe Street, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87501
(505) 954-9902 934
Main Avenue, Unit B, Durango, Colorado 81301
(970) 232-2033
www.blueraingallery.com
Cher Anderson
(602) 571-8094
cherscreations@cox.net
www.cherandersonwildlifeartist.com
Debbie Korbel
www.debbiekorbel.com
Georgia O’Keeffe Museum
217 Johnson Street, Santa Fe, NM 87501
(505) 946-1000 www.okeeffemuseum.org
Kathy Armstrong
kathyarmstrongfineart@gmail.com
kathyarmstrongfineart.com
K.L. McKenna
Saugerties, NY, (845) 399-3950
www.klmckenna.com
Lisa Sprietsma
lisasprietsma@msn.com
www.lisasprietsma.com
Lynn Waltke
Tucson, AZ, (520) 297-2991
lynnwaltke@comcast.net
www.lynnwaltkeart.com
www.artistsforconservation.org
Mardie Rees
www.mardierees.com
Priscilla Nelson
(404) 403-6111
nelsonartllc@icloud.com
www.nelsonart.com
Star Liana York
www.staryorksculpture.com
The American Artists Professional League
47 5th Avenue, New York, NY 10003
www.aaplinc.org
Zoey Zamarripa
www.zoeyzamarripa.com
Instagram: @artbyzoeyz
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