M A R F A. texas

M A R F A      our home away from home. a home to many an artist,  rancher, local doctor, mechanic, restauranteur, librarian...and  many many others..some who have lived here their whole lives and some who have just landed or those that just come here for chunks of time, like us. ( we have spent parts of 4 winters living here) a magical, "diamond in the rough" refuge in west texas.
     recently, a texan dinner guest chuckled and said this about marfa:   "over hyped and overly expensive" but on a marfa website i read this and smiled:  "MARFA: tough to get to . tough to explain. but once you get here, you get it." this blog also was quite funny & wry and seemed to get marfas appeal & peculiarity.
     personally, i have never been so inspired by a landscape. perhaps its the fact that is so unfamiliar, so unlike my east  coastal life & upbringing.  the quality of light, the wide open spaces, the dusty, dry cactus & grass filled open landscape.
     a few years ago, our first winter here, i began a photo shadow series. it just happened one evening in the backyard of our adobe rental. the sun was setting and created hard, beautiful outlines of our bodies. we turned it into a project and began involving props ( cowboy hats & bikes & skateboards)  & friends over for a visit. timing was everything.
     now, i venture out in the early morning & late afternoon whent he light is mysterious and seems to transform even the most mundane.  a bikeride  or drive ( or motorcycle) down pinto canyon road can be a spiritual experience if you time it right.  around town, tumbleweeds, cactus, gas tanks ( dixon ranch), buildings, signs , peacocks, the presidio county courthouse lit up with incredible christmas lights ( paid for by the citizens of marfa!) ..its all beautiful to me. a remakable, hard to explain kind of place. if you can get there - go - and i hope "you get it"