Out West: The Texas Landscape
by Tim Chandler
View The Gallery
Armstrong County Museum
Oct. 13th - Dec. 23rd
A Lifelong Passion
Dr. Tim Chandler began his photographic journey pursuing a journalism degree at Angelo State University shooting and writing for the school paper, The Ram Page. While doing his internship at the San Angelo Standard Times newspaper he won a first place, two second places and a third place in the Kodak International Newspaper Snapshot Awards. His first-place image of a puppy with a shoestring in its mouth was published in Glamour Magazine in a story on pet photography. Later while serving as media director for West Texas Boys Ranch in Tom Green County, he published his work in the Ranch Hand paper and for various marketing publications including the promotional catalog for the art show and roping at the OS Ranch near Post, Texas. During his career he has owned and operated a photography business, New Vision Photography and is a member of the West Texas Photographic Society in Abilene, Texas. Chandler’s work is featured in several museum exhibits across the state including the Red River Valley Museum in Vernon, the Charles Goodnight Visitor and Education Center in Armstrong County and the Austin McCloud Appellate Court Museum in Eastland. He has done portraits of Wyman Meinzer and Byron Price, with whom he worked to produce the book “Charles Goodnight: A Man for All Ages” and his photo of the Charles Goodnight statue at the Panhandle Plains Historic Museum in Canyon is featured in that volume. Chandler has had his photography published in Authentic Texas Magazine and Texas Heritage Magazine and his previous show, “Look, See” in 2019 was exhibited at Hardin-Simmons University in the Frost Art Gallery. Currently he does farm and ranch photography for Ekdahl Real Estate, working out of the company’s Abilene office.
About The Show
The title, Out West, refers to the way people sometime talk about location.
Out west, along with down south, up north or back east is a common means of explaining not only direction but also as a cultural reference. All these photos depict land in West Texas and represent scenic, interesting, and sometimes strange aspects about this part of Texas.
Out West is directional and descriptive but also cultural in the way it looks at life in these parts where the land truly does influence everything. Poet and essayist Joseph Brodsky expressed the truism that “Geography blended with time equals destiny.” Destiny out here, in the western part of Texas, is still evolving with the land and what it has to offer.
This collection originated in the 26 counties that comprise the Big Country of Texas although some are from outside that region. Much of the area is rural and the counties represented here are small in population but rich in history. The images were taken from 2020-2023 during farm and ranch real estate shoots and represent a glimpse of the landscape off the highways, county roads and sometimes off the grid altogether. The stories they represent involve land use shifting from agriculture and cattle to oil, wind, and solar energy and recreational purposes with buyers moving in from urban areas for a variety of reasons.
These images invite the viewer to take the long view and consider what it means for them. In the case of these pictures the desired response is for the viewer to find a connection with the created world and the beauty it holds.
All images are available for purchase in a variety of media including canvas, aluminum and fine art paper and in sizes from 5X7 to 16X24.
Chapter 1 - The Divide - Urban/Rural
Chapter 3 - Signs - What We Leave Behind
Chapter 5 - Water - Lifeblood of the Land
Chapter 7 - Conclusion - The Big View
Chapter 2 - Forces - Shaping the Land
This land is shaped by forces both natural and man-made including sun, wind, rain, ice, and wildfire as well as technology. When the occasional rainfall comes it can turn parched draws and gulches into raging streams and leave behind amazing floral displays and water tanks full to overflowing surrounded by greenery. When the rain stops the land turns dry, dusty, and unforgiving. Ice storms cover the land with frozen moisture which often breaks branches on every tree in the area while range fires leave charred tree trunks, fire breaks, and burned fences and structures. With time the runoff from thunderstorms carves slot canyons through rock and dirt creating pools for wildlife and cutting the land with geographic boundaries. Vegetation clings to rocky ridges and sandy soil alike furnishing food such as wild plums and providing cover for wildlife year-round.
For much of the year shades of red and brown are the dominant color in these places where blood, oil and dreams have been spilled and the mainstay of many local economies is hunting. The landscape eventually absorbs the remnants of what came before leaving indicators of human activity and a way of life that is no more.
Chapter 4 - Beauty -Landscape Aesthetic
Chapter 6 - Perspective - Seen From Above
This 128 page book contains perspectives on the land of Texas by the photographer as well as five of the agents at Ekdahl Real Estate with chapters on the Urban-Rural Divide, Forces Shaping the Land, What We Leave Behind, Landscape Aesthetic, Seen From Above, and The Big View.
The book contains 140 images collected during real estate shoots from 2022-2024 taken from the ground as well as the air with drones, many of which in are in the show.
This companion book to the show is available in hardback for $100 and can be purchased by contacting Tim Chandler at 325-660-8058 or at tim@goampmedia.com.
The photographer will sign copies if desired.
