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In 1939, Andre Breton, a founder of surrealism, proclaimed Mexico as “the surrealist place par excellence.”
In 1991, Mexican painter Rufino Tamayo agreed, calling Mexico “the most surrealistic country in the world.”
My work thrives on this excellent surreality. I have traveled to Mexico more than a dozen times since 1983,
specifically to photograph, visiting Chihuahua, Ciudad Juarez, Ciudad Obregon, Durango, Ensenada,
Guaymas, Hermosillo, La Paz, Los Mochis, Monterrey, Saltillo, Santa Rosalia, Tepic, Torreon, and Zacatecas.
Walking 15 or 20 miles daily, I let my subconscious influence where and when I photograph. I always come
across chance discoveries, and try to picture things in the world “as an enigma,” like my favorite
painter, Georgi De Chirico, whose work inspired artists in the 1920s to start the surrealist movement.
The colors, light, and oddities of Mexico inspire me, and I juxtapose unlikely objects and scenes together,
akin to a magic reality.Much of the magic of Mexico is reflected in the wide range of colors;
I painstakingly recreate these in the darkroom. Many of the scenes that I photograph are simple, yet
enigmatic. I like to lift up common objects and scenes to higher plane. I do not consciously understand all
of the scenes which I see and photograph. Many, however, reflect strong Mexican passions about politics
and religion. Some mirror views different than Americans on decay and death, both handled more openly
as part of life by Mexicans. I like to echo the vibrant and often mysterious man-made world of contemporary
Mexico. Carlos Fuentes’ surreal masterpiece, Terra Nostra, is an inspiration.
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