Wednesday, June 10th, 2009
the marfa post - part I
I’ve been wanting to talk about this for a long time. There is this place in West Texas. A tiny town called Marfa. You’ve probably heard of it. And if you haven’t been there, you should go.
One June, quite a few years ago now, one of my best friends and I took a group of students there to study the work of Donald Judd. It was one of the best trips I’ve ever had, and one of the most inspiring places I’ve ever been. There is so much to say about this place, I don’t really know where to start.
I opened up my marfa sketchbook a few weeks ago and on the first page were some thoughts I wrote as we arrived. I thought this would be as good a place to start as any. I really don’t want to say much -I just want to show you images. I think I’ll post them in a few installments and I’ll start with the landscape ones, since I was just talking about landscape and by far that was the most inspiring part for me. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a place that felt as expansive as west texas. It’s such a BIG landscape.
Sunday, June 1st, 2002
7:30pm
Arrive in Marfa, Texas
incredible ride twisting through the desert mountain landscape
marfa appears like a fictional western town with small scale commercial buildings, stucco or adobe, painted white
everything pristine
amazing desert plants: sparse, cool grey greens, architecturally shaped, each plant is pure sculpture
we see a man sitting on a low adobe wall
we are driving slow, looking, and he waves us over.
“are you chinati people?” he asks.
he gives us directions to the gas station (colomo) where the students are staying.
on the way we see a building that looks familiar and detour around the block to see.
definitely a judd building -beautifully crafted adobe brick walls with an expressed concrete mortar joint.
as we slow to look, more and more details and buildings jump out.
Judd’s presense is everywhere.
on Wednesday, June 10th, 2009 at 1:18 pm:
so inspiring martha.
on Wednesday, June 10th, 2009 at 1:20 pm:
it’s like everything that springs from the stark ground there is sculptural. it’s awesome! this makes me want to go to texas.
on Wednesday, June 10th, 2009 at 1:27 pm:
Martha
Thanks so much for sharing this.
It looks positively amazing. I really love all the photos and your words.
Thanks so much.
on Wednesday, June 10th, 2009 at 1:43 pm:
I’ve never heard of Marfa before! That first photo is so stark and breathtaking!
on Wednesday, June 10th, 2009 at 2:38 pm:
gorgeous. thank you for sharing.
marfa has been on my ‘must see’ list for so long. your tease has resparked my desire.
on Wednesday, June 10th, 2009 at 3:10 pm:
lovely post. someday when we move back West, i hope i can visit there, and taliesin, too.
on Wednesday, June 10th, 2009 at 5:58 pm:
made for you. and it must be the day for posts we’ve wanted to write for ages. i love the pool. the angular dwellings in the desert are so good. i can’t believe how good the wildflowers are - beautiful art. and the pool. i just want the pool - well - i just want to be in the pool.
on Wednesday, June 10th, 2009 at 6:03 pm:
I was just singing the praises of this amazing town to a friend last night, wishing I could make another trip back. It truly is like no other place on earth. So glad to see your photos and bits of writing on Marfa here.
on Wednesday, June 10th, 2009 at 11:41 pm:
Thanks so much Martha -
One of my lifelong dreams is to go to Marfa - and seeing it through your eyes is wonderful.
If I ever visit the US - I’ll be making a beeline for those buildings.
on Thursday, June 11th, 2009 at 1:08 pm:
Wow, thank you for this post, Martha!!! I’m dying to take a trip to Marfa, and this all just makes me crave the journey even more.
on Saturday, June 13th, 2009 at 8:23 am:
thanks for the lovely photos–brings me back to the wonderful months when i lived and worked in marfa.
on Saturday, June 13th, 2009 at 12:27 pm:
ah martha of marfa….
it has been a dream of mine to pilgrimage there someday….
your photos are stunning [of course]
on Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009 at 6:44 pm:
joe and i have been talking about going there for the last 7 years. SEVEN years. i still don’t understand why we never get our act together and just go! i love your photos. can’t wait to see it myself someday.