Marilu Norden

The true story behind my award-winning first novel UNBRIDLED: A TALE OF A DIVORCE RANCH was featured in an August 28, 2013, article called, “Divorcing at Dude Ranches,” published in the Huffington Post! Read the article HERE. I found the comments “interesting,” to say the least! (scroll down about nine inches below the article to find the comments)

Written by Theresa Iker, the article is based on a recent interview she did with me about my experiences at a divorce ranch in Reno, Nevada, way back in 1951. The interview was part of Iker’s research for her Scripps College thesis on the American divorce ranches phenomenon, circa 1930s to 1960s. AOL picked up the article and it went viral internationally!

The circa 1951 letterhead from Pyramid Lake Ranch—30 miles north of Reno, Nevada—the "Desert Lake Ranch" setting of my semi-autobiographical novel, "Unbridled: A Tale of a Divorce Ranch." (click on the image to see a high-resolution version of the historic letterhead)

Marilu Norden, circa 1952, about a year after the divorce ranch experience

I am presently hard at work in my Scottsdale, AZ, studio creating a series of oil paintings on canvas and panel which focus on the theme of “Spirit”—a subject that fascinates me as it relates to the culture of Native Americans still living the ancient pueblo life of their ancestors in New Mexico and Arizona. In my brightly hued oil paintings of this theme, I aim for a mystical quality that will intrigue the viewer to actually “feel” the essence of the “spirit” conveyed in the art. To see more of my paintings from this new series, visit https://marilunorden.compaintings.

“Spirit of the Crow Man, Taos” by Marilu Norden, 12″ x 16″ oil on panel