Leslie Lambert’s The Great Escape captures more than just a fleeting moment. It embodies the spirit of the American West and the strength of the women who shape it. Set against a backdrop of Idaho’s snowcapped mountains and sturdy corral rails, this dynamic watercolor painting will be featured in the Women’s Work exhibition opening August 1 at the A.R. Mitchell Museum in Trinidad, Colorado.
The show celebrates the stories, labor, and creative perspectives of women artists. Lambert’s work, with its bold composition and powerful subject, is a standout reflection of this theme.
A Moment of Courage in Motion
In The Great Escape, a cowgirl turns her horse sharply, eyes locked on a calf making a dash for freedom. Dust kicks up. Muscles tighten. There’s tension in the air, not just from the pursuit but from the deeper sense of purpose that rides alongside it.
The scene is full of energy, but Lambert’s mastery of the watercolor medium gives it a dreamlike fluidity. Through the layered technique of poured watercolor, a method that involves directing diluted pigments across the paper in translucent veils, the artist creates a sense of momentum that feels both immediate and enduring. Colors flow, light shimmers, and edges bleed into each other like movement caught in memory.
Honoring the Landscape and the Labor
The composition of The Great Escape grounds the viewer firmly in the West. The snow-covered mountains stand watch in the distance while the wooden fencing of the corral anchors the scene with a sense of place and tradition. This isn’t a generic Western setting. It’s a lived-in, hardworking world that reflects Lambert’s own experience and reverence for ranch life.
Rather than idealizing the West, Lambert paints it with authenticity. The painting acknowledges both the beauty and the physical labor of life on the range. It’s not just about action. It’s about atmosphere and how the land, the animals, and the people are deeply connected through daily rhythms of care, grit, and survival.
Centering the Western Woman
At the center of the action is a woman in control, confident, focused, and fearless. This isn’t a romanticized side character or a background figure. She is the story.
Lambert frequently places strong women at the heart of her work, and The Great Escape is no exception. By doing so, she challenges traditional narratives of the American West that often prioritize male heroism and overlook the vital role of women in ranching culture. In Lambert’s world, women ride hard, work smart, and carry just as much responsibility as anyone else.
This feminist perspective is not loud or didactic. It is woven into the fabric of the scene itself. It shows us what strength looks like in action, not flashy, but focused; not glamorous, but grounded.
A Signature Style in Watercolor
Leslie Lambert’s artistic voice is unmistakable. She is widely recognized for her poured watercolor technique, which allows for rich layering of color and light. Unlike tight, detailed brushwork, her process invites chance, spontaneity, and flow. It is a perfect match for the unpredictability and energy of her subjects.
The result is paintings that pulse with vitality and tell stories through both form and feeling. In The Great Escape, the soft transitions and overlapping tones create movement not just in the figures, but in the air itself. The light dances, the color glows, and the viewer is drawn into a world that feels wide open and alive.
About the Artist
Leslie Lambert is a celebrated watercolorist whose work highlights the resilience, grace, and untamed beauty of the American West. Her paintings explore themes of light, movement, and narrative, especially as they relate to women and the landscape around them.
Lambert is a signature member of Cowgirl Artists of America and an associate member of Women Artists of the West. Her award-winning work has appeared in exhibitions across the United States and has been featured in publications such as Plein Air Magazine and The Art of Watercolour. She is the author of the book Watercolor 365 and currently teaches painting and art history at the College of Southern Idaho.
In addition to her studio and academic work, Lambert leads international watercolor retreats and teaches workshops across North America, Europe, and Africa. Her teaching is centered on helping others explore watercolor with confidence, freedom, and joy.
A Fitting Feature in Women’s Work
The A.R. Mitchell Museum’s Women’s Work exhibition is a celebration of the diverse talents and perspectives of women artists working across genres and geographies. As the show opens on August 1, The Great Escape stands as a compelling representation of the exhibition’s core message: that women’s contributions in the studio, on the land, and within cultural narratives deserve recognition and reverence.
The painting doesn’t just portray a Western scene. It reclaims the narrative. It invites viewers to reconsider who gets to tell the story of the West and how it’s told. In Lambert’s hands, that story is one of courage, movement, and mastery.
Conclusion: Grace, Grit, and the Great Wide Open
With The Great Escape, Leslie Lambert delivers more than an image. She offers an experience. It’s a painting that pulls you into the action, sweeps you across the plains, and leaves you with a deep appreciation for the strength and skill of the women who live and work in the West.
On view beginning August 1 at the A.R. Mitchell Museum, this luminous work promises to leave a lasting impression. It is a vivid reminder that the West is still wild and women are riding at its heart.
