A Trip to Marfa, Texas
I hope you’ve been following my Instagram page @MarthaStewart48 where I’ve shown several photos and videos from this year’s holiday trip with my family - I’ll share more photos with you when I return.
As many of you know, I travel quite a bit and always try to make the most of every excursion. Last fall, I traveled to Marfa, a small desert city in West Texas, known largely as a center for minimalist art. The town, about three hours from El Paso and an hour from Big Bend National Park has a population of about 2000 and is a mix of old and new, classic and modern - with vintage cafes, contemporary art exhibits, historical architecture, and some of the most stunning desert landscapes that go on for miles and miles.
Here are some photos that were taken by myself and @seenbysharkey, enjoy.
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- On our way to Marfa, which is about 190-miles from El Paso International Airport, we drove by the infamous border patrol wall. (Photo by @seenbysharkey)
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- The wall stretches for miles over both urban and uninhabited sections. The urban areas include San Diego, California and El Paso, Texas.
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- The fencing includes a steel fence, varying in height between 18 and 26 feet.
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- Behind this section of the wall, one can see the giant 20-story tall sculpture in the shape of a giant “X”. “The X,” or “La Equis” is located in Juarez on the south bank of the Rio Grande. Designed by Mexican sculptor Enrique Carbajal González, the two towers intersecting in an “X” shape represents the merging of two cultures in Mexico: the indigenous Aztecs and the Spanish. (Photo by @seenbysharkey)
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- After the three hour drive, we arrived at Marfa. Marfa was established in the 1800s as a water stop for Texas and New Orleans Railroad. (Photo by @seenbysharkey)
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- The vast views of the landscape and mountains can be seen for miles and miles. (Photo by @seenbysharkey)
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- Some of the best places to see Pronghorn are just south of Marfa, Texas and between Alpine and Fort Davis, Texas. Pronghorns are animals of the prairie and once roamed the plains along with the American bison. Now they are being brought here as part of a restoration effort to revive pronghorn populations in the area.
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- Prada Marfa was created by artists Elmgreen and Dragset and designed to look like a Prada storefront in the middle of the West Texas desert. Prada Marfa is actually in the town of Valentine, about 20-minutes outside of Marfa. The installation, in the form of a freestanding building, was inaugurated on October 1, 2005. (Photo by @seenbysharkey)
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- Here I am standing in the doorway, which is nonfunctional. I loved the reflection in this photo. The building is made of adobe bricks, plaster, paint, glass pane, aluminum frame, MDF, and carpet.
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- The shop has two large windows on either side of the door. Inside, one can see actual Prada wares, shoes and handbags, picked out and provided by Miuccia Prada from the fall/winter 2005 collection. (Photo by @seenbysharkey)
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- Here is another photo taken from the other side of the store.
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- On Highway 90 between Valentine and Marfa is this plywood tribute to the 1956 James Dean-Liz Taylor film “Giant,” erected by artist John Cerney in October 2018. Parts of the movie were filmed at this spot. Solar-run equipment plays country music by Michael Nesmith of The Monkees. (Photo by @seenbysharkey)
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- Here’s a closer look at James Dean with his rifle over his shoulders. (Photo by @seenbysharkey)
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- This shows Rock Hudson in the driver’s seat of the car. The film was James Dean’s last film as a leading actor. John Cerney murals can be described as “giant cut-out art”. They’ve been featured in numerous magazines, books and newspapers including National Geographic, Sunset Magazine, Reader’s Digest and The New York Times. (Photo by @seenbysharkey)
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- If you followed my Instagram page @MarthaStewart48, you may have seen Kevin Sharkey’s walk through a portion of artist Robert’s Irwin’s massive installation using space, light, and scrim.
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- Here’s a photo of my friend, Douglas Friedman, in the space. He is a very talented photographer – follow him on Instagram @DouglasFriedman. Using floor-to-ceiling-length “walls” of translucent white and black scrim, as well as window-tinting film, Irwin created a changing experience of light and space. (Photo by @seenbysharkey)
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- The work shows everything in halves, with one side of the building dark and the other light. Irwin’s work manipulates and frames the changing light conditions that occur throughout the course of the day.
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- One evening, I attended the Chinati Foundation Benefit Dinner. The Chinati Foundation, created by artist Donald Judd, was opened to the public in 1986. The foundation sits on 340 acres of land on the site of the former Fort D.A. Russell. You may recall our September 1996 story in “Living” entitled “Martha in Marfa”. (Photo by @seenbysharkey)
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- The event was in a former horse arena. (Photo by @seenbysharkey)
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- This fun photo taken by @seenbysharkey shows me in the large loft space above the arena.
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- During the trip, I also saw some fine examples of rammed earth construction. Rammed earth, also known as taipa in Portuguese, tapial or tapia in Spanish, and pisé de terre in French, is a technique for constructing foundations, floors, and walls using natural raw materials such as earth, chalk, lime, or gravel.
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- It is done by ramming a mixture of selected aggregates into place between flat panels called formwork.
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- The color of rammed earth walls is determined by the earth and aggregate used. The ramming process is done layer by layer and shows the appearance of horizontal stratification. Rammed earth is very strong and beautiful.
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- And here is a wide view of El Paso from the Mount Franklin Scenic overlook. If you ever get the chance, I encourage you to visit Marfa, Texas, and the surrounding areas – you’ll love it.
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