Cadillac Ranch, Amarillo, TX
Whenever I am in the area, I like to spend a few hours at Cadillac Ranch, the ever-evolving spray-painted collection of 10 Cadillacs buried hood-first in 1974 in a wheat field along Route 66, just outside of Amarillo, TX. The installation by a group of self-proclaimed art-hippies from San Francisco is one of the must-see roadside attractions in the world. It now comes complete with its own on-location spray paint vendor truck in case you arrive without the required supplies.
Built by a group of artists known as the Ant Farm for Amarillo billionaire Stanley Marsh in 1974, ten Cadillacs, from a 1949 Club Sedan to a 1963 Sedan de Ville, were lined up and buried to best show off their tail fins.
One time when we were there a farmer was plowing his field a short distance away, a dozen people were meandering around spray painting their legacies onto their favorite cars and a naked woman lounged for a local photographer in the remains of the 1949 Club Sedan. Every visit is different, not always that different, but different nonetheless.
Places That I Love
For the vast majority of my career, my own photography was an afterthought. Very soon after I started working professionally as a photojournalist, I became a full-time academic and for more than 40 years, my students came first. We traveled the world together, but my role was that of an editor and mentor, not a photographer. Rarely would I have time for my own work. Of course, that was of my choosing and it was a gift, not a burden.
Toward the end of my career, my teaching and advising focus shifted from undergraduate to graduate students, who were allowed to travel without a faculty escort. This allowed me time for some personal projects and assignments, and time to travel with family and friends, something I still do today.
This gallery has no thematic or geographic parameters, it’s just a grouping of photographs from places that I love, places that evoke special memories or moments that I enjoyed experiencing.
