Mabel Strickland Original

Mabel Strickland — Individual Painting Statement

Mabel DeLong Strickland Woodward (1897–1976) was an American rodeo cowgirl, trick rider, and stunt performer who became one of the most celebrated women in early rodeo history. Raised on a ranch in Walla Walla, Washington, she learned to ride as a child and entered competitive rodeo in 1916. Despite standing just over five feet tall, she quickly gained national recognition for her extraordinary athleticism, versatility, and fearless style.

Strickland competed in events traditionally dominated by men — including bronc riding, steer roping, relay racing, and trick riding — and often outperformed them. In 1922 she was crowned All-Around Champion Cowgirl at Cheyenne Frontier Days, one of the most prestigious rodeos in the country. When women’s rodeo events declined in the 1930s, she brought her riding expertise to Hollywood, working as a stunt performer in Western films. She later co-founded the Association of Film Equestriennes to advocate for recognition and safety for women stunt riders. 

In this portrait, she stands beside her horse as an equal partner — reflecting the trust, discipline, and physical mastery that defined her life. This painting honors Mabel Strickland as a pioneer of rodeo and stunt performance — an athlete whose courage, showmanship, an

Series Artist Statement — Remarkable Women

Remarkable Women is a portrait series honoring women whose work transformed their fields and expanded what was possible in their time.

Across art, science, and public life, these women reshaped cultural understanding through knowledge, expression, and daring. This series brings their presence forward — not as distant historical figures, but as individuals whose lives and work remain vividly and iconically relevant.

Each painting begins with gestural charcoal studies that explore the woman in action — painting, riding, observing, performing — capturing the physical energy of what she did. These expressive marks remain embedded beneath the final image. A more defined portrait then emerges, layered with watercolor and oil pastel, allowing movement, atmosphere, and structure to coexist.

Each portrait, whether widely known or lesser known, reflects a different form of impact — artistic expression, scientific discovery, cultural leadership, and lived experience. What connects these women is not a single definition of achievement, but the lasting imprint of their work.