Te x a s D r o u g h t Photographs of a New American Dust Bowl by Robb Kendrick A 2014 FotoFest Biennial Exhibition
Dry Storm, Hereford, Texas
Cotton Crop, Brownfield, Texas
Water Tank, San Angelo, Texas
T e x a s D r o u g h t: Photographs of a New American Dust Bowl by Robb Kendrick on view March 21 - April 26, 2014
S p e c i a l Ev e n t s Collector Preview Weekend: Friday, March 21st – Saturday, March 22nd, 10am-5pm Opening Reception: Saturday, March 22nd, 5-8pm A full exhibition catalogue is available at reavesart.com. The gallery is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10am-5pm; and by appointment.
T e x a s D r o u g h t: P hoto g raphs of a N e w A M e r i can D ust B owl b y R obb K e ndr i ck William Reaves Fine Art is pleased to bring the remarkable photography of Robb Kendrick to Houston and to FotoFest. Kendrick was an already accomplished photographer of the American West when he turned the lens of his camera on the Texas drought that is continuing to wreak havoc, an eerie replay of the state’s Dust Bowl experience of the 1930s. Photographed for National Geographic magazine and published in their September 2012 issue, Kendrick’s photographs capture the thirsty soil and desolate landscape of the Texas high plains. Of this series, Kendrick writes: The summer of 2011 was the hottest, driest, windiest summer in Texas history. As I drove over the vast farmlands of the Texas Panhandle where I grew up, it seemed more like a desert than the bountiful fields of green I remember growing up. Truth be told, the southern plains of Texas nearly qualifies as a desert. The decade leading up to the dustbowl farmers, encouraged by the government, ripped open vast prairies to farm wheat for a growing export market. The loss of the fragile prairies that held the soil earthbound resulted in one of the largest manmade disasters in history. For the past 60 years with the assistance of deep irrigation wells the same areas so devastated by the dustbowl was again transformed into a farming paradise as the Ogallala aquifer provided what seemed an endless bounty of water. Driven by high commodity prices, and irresponsible government programs, farmers have pumped this fossil aquifer to dangerously low levels chasing profits from water intensive crops such as corn and cotton. Another manmade disaster is slowly unfolding as weather patterns become erratic and dependable water becomes scarce. 1
Peter Miller, “The New Dust Bowl”, National Geographic Magazine (September 2012).
The severe droughts in the Lone Star State during this period were described as “gut-kicking even by Texas standards,” with 2011 being the driest recorded year for the State of Texas. Dubbed “The New Dust Bowl”, this most epic of Texas dry spells was judged to be even more severe than the extreme droughts of the 1930s or 1950s. The weather doling catastrophic blows to ranchers and farmers in the area caused Texas farmers to lose an estimated $8 billion due to the lack of rain in 2011 alone. Through his powerful imagery, Kendrick captures the devastation of this rainless region, allowing the viewer to experience a Texas drought of historic proportions. Utilizing the 8x10 format with color negatives, Kendrick’s images of the parched Texas countryside lend to incredible detail and depth of field. The harsh reality of the condition of the land and its impact on natural and human environments serve as a strong reminder to the viewer of the direct and indirect consequences of such devastating natural events in our region.
Bill Reaves President, William Reaves Fine Art
A b o u t t h e A r t i s t: R O b b K e n d r i c k Selected Biographical and Career Highlights • • • •
1963, Born in Spur, Texas 1981-85, East Texas State University, Commerce, Texas Frequent Instructor for National Geographic seminars and workshops Resides in Austin, Texas
Selected Book Publications • • • • •
In Focus: National Geographic Greatest Portraits, cover image, November 2004 Revealing Character: Texas Tintypes, Bright Sky Press, September 2005 Still: Cowboys at the Start of the 21st Century, The University of Texas Press, February 2008 Changelings, Cloverleaf Press, February 2009 History of the Waggoner Ranch, Four – O Publishing, November 2011
Selected Magazine Publications • “21st Century Cowboys,” National Geographic, December 2007 Selected Exhibitions • • • • • •
2004, Best Portraits of National Geographic, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. 2005–06, One Man Exhibition of Tintypes, The Witte Museum, San Antonio, Texas 2006–07, One Man Exhibition of Tintypes, National Cowgirl Museum, Fort Worth, Texas 2007, One Man Exhibition of Tintypes, Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum, Austin, Texas 2007, One Man Exhibition of Tintypes, The Old Jail Art Center, Albany, Texas 2011, One Man Retrospective, The Wittliff Collections, Texas State University, San Marcos, Texas
Selected Collections • • • • •
Denver Art Museum Harry Ransom Center, The University of Texas, Austin, Texas The Wittliff Collections, Texas State University, San Marcos, Texas The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas Ralph Lauren Collections
Texas Drought: Photographs of a New American Dust Bowl by Robb Kendrick March 21 - April 26, 2014 No.
Artist
Title of Work
Date
Edition
Medium
Size (inches)
1
Robb Kendrick
Bill Tulljos, San Angelo, Texas
2011
1/10
Archival Pigment Print
18 x 22
2
Robb Kendrick
Brown Field, Brownfield, Texas
2012
1/10
Archival Pigment Print
18 x 22
3
Robb Kendrick
Buried Fence, Seminole, Texas
2012
1/10
Archival Pigment Print
18 x 22
4
Robb Kendrick
Childhood Pool, Spur, Texas
2012
1/10
Archival Pigment Print
18 x 22
5
Robb Kendrick
Cotton Crop?, Brownfield, Texas
2012
1/10
Archival Pigment Print
18 x 22
6
Robb Kendrick
Cotton Crop, Levelland, Texas
2011
1/7
Archival Pigment Print
34 x 42
7
Robb Kendrick
Dry Humor, Muleshoe, Texas
2012
1/10
Archival Pigment Print
26 x 32
8
Robb Kendrick
Dry Storm, Hereford, Texas
2012
1/7
Archival Pigment Print
34 x 42
9
Robb Kendrick
Fallow field, Wayside, Texas
2012
1/10
Archival Pigment Print
18 x 22
10
Robb Kendrick
Farm to Market, Spur, Texas
2012
1/10
Archival Pigment Print
26 x 32
11
Robb Kendrick
Feedlot, Easter, Texas
2012
1/10
Archival Pigment Print
26 x 32
12
Robb Kendrick
Flying Sand, Pep, Texas
2012
1/10
Archival Pigment Print
18 x 22
13
Robb Kendrick
Home-less, Spur, Texas
2012
1/10
Archival Pigment Print
18 x 22
14
Robb Kendrick
Lone Survivor, Vega, Texas
2012
1/10
Archival Pigment Print
26 x 32
15
Robb Kendrick
Lost Tracks, Earth, Texas
2012
1/10
Archival Pigment Print
18 x 22
16
Robb Kendrick
Paradise, Eden, Texas
2012
1/10
Archival Pigment Print
18 x 22
17
Robb Kendrick
Prairie Woman, Guthrie, Texas
2012
1/10
Archival Pigment Print
18 x 22
18
Robb Kendrick
Sandy Slope, Denver City, Texas
2012
1/10
Archival Pigment Print
18 x 22
19
Robb Kendrick
Snow Field, Levelland, Texas
2012
1/10
Archival Pigment Print
26 x 32
20
Robb Kendrick
Spare Tire, Levelland, Texas
2012
1/10
Archival Pigment Print
18 x 22
21
Robb Kendrick
Trespasser, Earth, Texas
2012
1/10
Archival Pigment Print
18 x 22
22
Robb Kendrick
Veribest SIX Men, Veribest, Texas
2011
1/10
Archival Pigment Print
26 x 32
23
Robb Kendrick
Vicious Tumbleweeds, Levelland, Texas
2012
1/10
Archival Pigment Print
18 x 22
24
Robb Kendrick
Water Tank, San Angelo, Texas
2011
1/10
Archival Pigment Print
26 x 32
Texas Drought: Photographs of a New American Dust Bowl by Robb Kendrick March 21 - April 26, 2014 No.
Artist
Title of Work
Date
Edition
Medium
Size (inches)
25
Robb Kendrick
Water Witcher, San Angelo, Texas
2011
1/10
Archival Pigment Print
18 x 22
26
Robb Kendrick
Wind Prisoner, Wall, Texas
2011
1/10
Archival Pigment Print
18 x 22
27
Robb Kendrick
Windy Street, Morton, Texas
2012
1/10
Archival Pigment Print
18 x 22
28
Robb Kendrick
Winter Burn, Lazbuddie, Texas
2012
1/10
Archival Pigment Print
18 x 22
Additional images available to be printed:
Additional print sizes:
29
Robb Kendrick
Buried, Littlefield, Texas
2012
Size
30
Robb Kendrick
Burned out, Bastrop, Texas
2011
11 x 14
10
31
Robb Kendrick
Family Business, Ralls, Texas
2012
18 x 22
10
32
Robb Kendrick
Feed Hill, Wayside, Texas
2012
26 x 32
10
33
Robb Kendrick
Fire Truck, Bastrop, Texas
2011
34 x 42
7
34
Robb Kendrick
Homeless Weeds, Bovina, Texas
2012
38 x 48
7
35
Robb Kendrick
Hoping for Cotton, Levelland, Texas
2011
42 x 52
5
36
Robb Kendrick
Lonely Road, Petit, Texas
2012
46 x 58
5
37
Robb Kendrick
Mason Feed Store, Mason, Texas
2011
50 x 62
3
38
Robb Kendrick
Packing Plant, Hereford, Texas
2012
60 x 80
3
39
Robb Kendrick
San Saba River, Voca, Texas
2011
40
Robb Kendrick
Thirsty Goat, San Angelo, Texas
2011
41
Robb Kendrick
Wallace Theatre, Muleshoe, Texas
2012
42
Robb Kendrick
Water Hog, Brownfield, Texas
2012
43
Robb Kendrick
Water Tower, Levelland, Texas
2011
Edition
1. Robb Kendrick, Bill Tulljos, San Angelo, Texas, 2011, archival print, 18x22 inches.
2. Robb Kendrick, Brown Field, Brownfield, Texas, 2012, archival print, 18x22 inches.
3. Robb Kendrick, Buried Fence, Seminole, Texas, 2012, archival print, 18x22 inches.
4. Robb Kendrick, Childhood Pool, Spur, Texas, 2012, archival print, 18x22 inches.
5. Robb Kendrick, Cotton Crop?, Brownfield, Texas, 2012, archival print, 34x42 inches.
6. Robb Kendrick, Cotton Crop, Levelland, Texas, 2011, archival print, 18x22 inches.
7. Robb Kendrick, Dry Humor, Muleshoe, Texas, 2012, archival print, 26x32 inches.
8. Robb Kendrick, Dry Storm, Hereford, Texas, 2012, archival print, 34x42 inches.
9. Robb Kendrick, Fallow field, Wayside, Texas, 2012, archival print, 18x22 inches.
10. Robb Kendrick, Farm to Market, Spur, Texas, 2012, archival print, 26x32 inches.
11. Robb Kendrick, Feedlot, Easter, Texas, 2012, archival print, 26x32 inches.
12. Robb Kendrick, Flying Sand, Pep, Texas, 2012, archival print, 18x22 inches.
13. Robb Kendrick, Home-less, Spur, Texas, 2012, archival print, 18x22 inches.
14. Robb Kendrick, Lone Survivor, Vega, Texas, 2012, archival print, 26x32 inches.
15. Robb Kendrick, Lost Tracks, Earth, Texas, 2012, archival print, 34x42 inches.
16. Robb Kendrick, Paradise, Eden, Texas, 2012, archival print, 18x22 inches.
17. Robb Kendrick, Prairie Woman, Guthrie, Texas, 2012, archival print, 18x22 inches.
18. Robb Kendrick, Sandy Slope, Denver City, Texas, 2012, archival print, 18x22 inches.
19. Robb Kendrick, Snow Field, Levelland, Texas, 2012, archival print, 26x32 inches.
20. Robb Kendrick, Spare Tire, Levelland, Texas, 2012, archival print, 18x22 inches.
21. Robb Kendrick, Trespasser, Earth, Texas, 2012, archival print, 18x22 inches.
22. Robb Kendrick, Veribest SIX Men, Veribest, Texas, 2011, archival print, 26x32 inches.
23. Robb Kendrick, Vicious Tumbleweeds, Levelland, Texas, 2012, archival print, 18x22 inches.
24. Robb Kendrick, Water Tank, San Angelo, Texas, 2011, archival print, 26x32 inches.
25. Robb Kendrick, Water Witcher, San Angelo, Texas, 2011, archival print, 18x22 inches.
26. Robb Kendrick, Wind Prisoner, Wall, Texas, 2011, archival print, 18x22 inches.
27. Robb Kendrick, Windy Street, Morton, Texas, 2012, archival print, 18x22 inches.
28. Robb Kendrick, Winter Burn, Lazbuddie, Texas, 2012, archival print, 18x22 inches.
29. Robb Kendrick, Buried, Littlefield, Texas, 2012, archival print.
30. Robb Kendrick, Burned Out, Bastrop, Texas, 2011, archival print.
31. Robb Kendrick, Family Business, Ralls, Texas, 2012, archival print.
32. Robb Kendrick, Feed Hill, Wayside, Texas, 2012, archival print.
33. Robb Kendrick, Fire Truck, Bastrop, Texas, 2012, archival print.
34. Robb Kendrick, Homeless Weeds, Bovina, Texas, 2012, archival print.
35. Robb Kendrick, Hoping for Cotton, Levelland, Texas, 2011, archival print.
36. Robb Kendrick, Lonely Road, Petit, Texas, 2012, archival print.
37. Robb Kendrick, Mason Feed Store, Mason, Texas, 2011, archival print.
38. Robb Kendrick, Packing Plant, Hereford, Texas, 2012, archival print.
39. Robb Kendrick, San Saba River, Voca, Texas, 2011, archival print.
40. Robb Kendrick, Thirsty Goat, San Angelo, Texas, 2011, archival print.
41. Robb Kendrick, Wallace Theatre, Muleshoe, Texas, 2012, archival print.
42. Robb Kendrick, Water Hog, Brownfield, Texas, 2012, archival print.
43. Robb Kendrick, Water Tower, Levelland, Texas, 2011, archival print.
WILLIAM REAVES FINE ART Spring 2014 Exhibition Schedule
Views of the Texas Coast: Interpretations by Twenty Texas Ar tists & Texas Drought: A New American Dust Bowl coinciding exhibitions at William Reaves Fine Ar t Galler y, Houston, Texas March 21 – April 26, 2014
The Texas Aesthetic VII
William Reaves Fine Ar t Galler y, Houston, Texas May 16 – July 5, 2014
Texas Art E a r ly Modern C o n te m p o r a r y
W i l l i am R e a v e s F i n e A r t 2313 B run S tr e e t • H ouston , T e x as 77019 • 713.521.7500 • I N F O @ r e a v e sart.com www. r e av e sart.com