Current Exhibition:
BRAZOSbrazos
On display April 30th – December 19th, 2025
Join us for a reception on Wednesday, October 1 from 4 – 6 p.m. in the Reynolds Gallery. Admission is free, all are welcome.
Artist Statement: All the photographs in this exhibit were taken in the low-lying land between the Big Brazos and Little Brazos Rivers in Texas, commonly referred to as the Brazos Bottom. This is prime cotton growing country where early settlers developed large plantations worked by slaves.
After the American Civil War, brokers recruited Italian immigrants to fill the labor gap in cotton production. At the time, Italy was experiencing an economic depression fueled by civil and political unrest. Desperate for opportunity, Italians were easy to exploit as tenant farmers. Italian farmers identified an area of inexpensive land that was prone to flooding from the Brazos Rivers, adequately referred to as “Mudville”. Recognizing the rich value of the soil, they began to purchase small parcels of land, as they were able, and cultivated it through much effort.
Growing up in Brazos Valley, I knew some of the Italian-American children who descended from the original immigrant families. I have fond memories of playing with them in and around pig pens, open fields and in the arms of ancient live oaks. The farmers’ determination, hard work, and dedication to the well-being of the soil have contributed in shaping my attitude as an artist. The emotional ties of stewardship, made manifest by expert cultivation of crops, helped shape the land. As an artist, I remain conscious of their legacy underfoot whenever I step into a field with my camera equipment.
My attention is drawn to the landscape shaped by the Italian farmers and, with greater force, by nature and time. Other impacts from industries such as oil, livestock, corn and cotton are ingrained in the land as well. The vastness of open flat land with its enormous sky dome, the frequent changes in light, and the forces of sun, heat, wind, water and terrifying lightning, all do their work over time to sculpt the fields. My photographs respond to the mystery I feel walking this ancient land.
My work is also informed by photographers who came before me. I carry in me an education by Farm Security Administration photographer Russell Lee who documented the plight of American farmers in the 193Os and ‘4Os during the Great Depression and the American Dust Bowl. My vision is also encouraged by the works of photographer Olivia Parker who builds fantastical worlds of shadow and light.
I intentionally chose to use a pinhole stereo camera because it articulates the vastnesses of everything: land, land, land, horizon, horizon, horizon, sky, sky, sky.