Hi Everyone,
First off, I hope you're all having a fantastic Thursday and are looking forward to an even better weekend! Today marks the kick off to our annual Prada Marfa flash sale, which also happens to coincide with my birthday-ish every year. I do it around my birthday because in a lot of ways, I celebrate Prada Marfa every year, too as it was the first series I really began to show as well as sell to clients.
To give you a little bit of history,I started taking pictures when I was a teenager in Dallas. I never really thought of it as a viable career but in college I pursued it as a second major and never gave up on 'the dream.'I moved to LA for the same reason a lot of people do; I thought I wanted to have a career in film. The initial opportunity came by way of an internship ata film production company, which parlayed into a fulltimejob working for the President. Though it was a great opportunity, after one year, I left to give photography a chance (my parents thought I was insane).
After leaving, I started to take classes and intern for photographers. From there, I decided to take out a booth at a Sunday swap-meet in West Hollywood at Melrose and Fairfax. I was primarily selling Black & White landscape photography, as that was my initial focus. The Prada Marfa series first debuted during these days, too. Right away, I was able to see what connected with people and what did not. Though it was a humbling experience, I met so many incredible people in the community and was able to display my work effectively, eventually making a name for myself.
The Story behind the Prada Marfa series
I love creating images that are unexpected. The Prada Marfa art installation by artists Elmgreen and Dragset already encapsulates this whimsical wink as it’s so randomly located in the middle of nowhere, Texas. Growing up in Dallas, I was aware of the installation and the small yet thriving art community in Marfa, Texas. Inspired to go and visit during a trip to see my parents, I had a spark go off! I wanted to create a series based around this installation as if it were actually a functioning Prada store. Who would its clients be? Would they park their mule outside, instead of their Mercedes?
It was such fun thinking of all of the different scenarios, and the resulting images couldn’t have been better. One of my favorites was actually not pre-planned, though. Two Cowboys was shot during sunrise, as we were all setting up, I noticed how tremendous it looked and immediately asked the two gentlemen to “not move!”
The reaction to the series was an amazing revelation. I definitely knew I was onto something! I believe the images resonate with so many people because of all of the elements available to relate to: fashion, art, the environment as well as humor and both, masculine and feminine sentiments.
I hope you enjoyed a little bit of a behind the scenes look into Prada Marfa as well as some of the history behind it. Also, please enjoy the sale..today & tomorrow!
Cheers
xx
GM