The A.V. Stagg Art and Wildlife Preserve

John Evans Band

Winter after the Storm

I took a flying leap and put everything on hold last week and made the Run Down to the Homeland. I got to Bolivar and Found just what I was looking for; Winter Skies and lot's of progress.

The land is born again and for those of us that lost our Homes and memories we can begin to look at the Horizon and see progress. A couple of Buddies told me that theres gonna be a Stingaritas by the end of the week. So I will say this, we are the lucky ones and I hope to see lot's of Smiles and Tight Lines this Spring. The Bolivar is stronger than all of our homes and dreams are stronger than storms.

Godspeed to all.




Here's a few images from last week expedition please enjoy, if you have any questions or comments drop me a line.

B Rolls "Gonzo" Style

I Have been on a Vacation apparently, sure doesn't seem like one. But, I have enjoyed all of the time with family and friends over the Holidays but it's time to get back to work. With the new year there are new shows to submit proposals for so that is the first task at hand. One of the hardest things for me a as Visual artist is to write about the art that I make. Writing just falls short of me dancing around in your face with long winded stories and explanations to the childhood metaphors I keep trying to uncover. Gauging the response face-to-face just doesn't happen when you write it down and send a proposal off in the Big White envelope, "Pick me; Oh great Curator,Pick Me!"

I thought it was appropriate when I ran across the images of my chief Gonzo Journalist in Charge, Rodney Navarre. I often would enlist Rodney to help Take notes as I roamed up down the Peninsular looking for the next image. Rodney was an invaluable collaborator on many of the photographs and various other projects, even a few Beach Cabin Honey-Do's. Thanks Rod.

Summer

We are having the first real taste of our normally mild winter and everyone is already discussing how cold it's going to be. We'll see, but all the indicators from slimy trout and black furred possums hint that mother nature is ready to send some hard winter weather to South Texas this year.

All that cold makes me wish for the warm June morning of the Bolivar. After photographing or fishing sunrise somewhere on the Peninsula, my mind usually turned to the shade and good conversation on the dock at Stingaree. Coffee was always fresh and the beer was cold, just be warned you might have to answer the phone or take the trash out if you sit long enough. To me the Stingaree was the epicenter of Bolivar. It just doesn't get any better.

Bolivar "B" Rolls

For several years just before the storm I was on Bolivar every chance I could get some times every weekend for months, I shot a lot of film during this time but was interested in only using one or two images a week, I have been going through the negatives recently and though it would be nice to share a few as I go along eventually I will produce a comprehensive Show/Book/Project but for now I am simply going through my own collection to see what I have. Here is a Walker Evans inspired, shot of Gilchist in the Fall of 2006.

Cypress in Drought

Canyon Dam began restricting the release of water to 50cfs after Septemeber 30 2008.

I noticed shortly after the Flow from Canyon Dam was reduced there was an increase in activity from the Nutria, these nasty invader species will work very hard to destroy the habit. The recently exposed cypress roots were high on menu. The damage to the trees is minimal but could make the trees more vulnerable in the future to flood and disease. Also, unsettling to say the least these since these animals do not belong in this river so the fact that they would get a chance to create damage at all is a bit of man’s own blunder. I am in contact with the city river authority and they have pictures as well, hopefully a solution can be found, to help these trees defend themselves. The river and its cypress- lined banks define this community in so many ways, to have it marred for years to come is unthinkable.

Pastures and Cows

All things considered,it's a gentle and undemanding
planet,even here. Far gentler
Here than a dozen other places. The trouble is
always and only what we build on top of it.
-Lew Welch

Bolivar Peninsular Cultural Foundation

The Half Shell

New Photographs on display, The Half Shell an Oyster Bar in Historic Downtown, New Braunfels has recently purchased two of my images.

Old Blacks Pier 2007, this was taken the opening day of Fall Shrimp season.



Winter on Bolivar has a way of letting you create your own paradise, This image was taken last winter on a beautiful 80 degree day and bluebird skys. Surf Rod Winter 2007

These images were created using a large format printer and measure 4'x6'.

Wrangling Hurricane Cows

Hurricane Cows

I think I was about 15 when I made my first photographs on Bolivar, They were images of the cutting pens along the Hwy in High Island. Cattle have been one of the primary industries on Bolivar since the Anglos first started living down there. I refer to them as Hurricane cows, because of the tough nature of their existence; constant winds and storms make this a pretty hard life for cows and cowboys alike. But I always thought of them as a great example of how the development on Bolivar had taken a different turn than other places on the Texas gulf coast. This was a living from the land, not off the fat of the tourists in hotels across the bay. Bolivar’s unique culture stems from the constant battering of storms and the bounty that the land & sea provide.

Hurricane Ike’s storm surge overwhelmed the pastures of Bolivar almost 48hrs ahead of the actual storm. Ranch Hands did their best to get the cattle to higher ground but the storm surge had high water almost all the way back to Stowell. The economic impact and loss of livestock is massive. A few of Cows managed to hang on through the storm surge and saltwater, but trying to get them back to safer pastures and fresh water is no easy task. In these photographs Members from one of the local ranches try to get a cow into the trailer for transport.

Bolivar:Milts seafood

Milt's is a family tradition, it's in Port Bolivar and always has great fresh seafood. The first Photograph was taken in the Spring of 2008. The Second in the Fall of 2008, post Ike.

Bolivar: The Silver Gelatin Series

These images were made on the Bolivar Peninsular between the Fall of 2004 and the Summer 2008. These images were the majority of the work present for my Masters of Fine art in Photography/Digital Media. The images were created by painting Silver gelatin onto the canvas in the darkroom then delvoping them with traditional photographic chemicals

Bolivar After Ike

These shots were taken in two separate visits to the Bolivar Peninsular after Hurricane Ike. The first visit was with Texas Parks and Wildlife, Galveston County and Best Friends animal society.