“There is something so personal here
that makes each visitor feel special and
individual, like they are the first to
discover its magic.“
of World War II to the area. At Fort
D.A. Russell in Marfa, German prisoners of war were housed in barracks
where they spent their time painting
murals on the adobe walls. The International Women’s Foundation has
worked to restore and preserve these
landscape murals. Open to the public, these works convey the sense of
isolation these men felt here in the
Chihuahuan desert. But they also
show a fascination for the unfamiliar
hills and plants of the area.
In this region that seems so remote
I was amazed at the depth of Art history. There is something so personal
here that makes each visitor feel special and individual, like they are the
first to discover its magic. Yet I was
touched by the ancients and spirits
past that found expression through
art in the Big Bend.
Current events
& aCtivities
It is still working its magic. Contemporary Minimalist artist Donald
Judd was seduced by the wide-open
spaces, buying and converting buildings in Marfa and creating art installations in the late 1980’s. These
buildings maintained by the Judd
Foundation and the buildings and art
of the Chinati Foundation have become a mecca for the major art world,
attracting visitors and artists from
the art centers of New York, L.A.,
Germany and beyond. There is mystery in the hanger exhibit of aluminum boxes with the sparse land
just outside the huge windows.
Today, artists are lining up to be a
part of the Chinati resident program,
beguiled and inspired.
Alpine has an annual event that is
totally devoted to art. The Gallery
Night/ArtWalk happens the weekend
before Thanksgiving and attracts art
lovers from all of Texas and beyond.
This was above and beyond my expectations.
I was drawn into the vortex that
some say exist here. The art history
of the area is rich and varied and I
decided to stick around and see if the
future was as colorful. I painted
some, exhibited some and explored a
lot. I found a house crying out for
major renovations and decided to
open a gallery. Was it a spell? Ab-
6 • www.GalleriesArtists.com