Keep on keepin' on...

                                                                                                            Alpine, 2011 ©  Chrissie Smolders

Oh, the great plains of Texas. Where there are beautiful sunsets to be seen without a city skyline. Just the dark outline of a mountain against the pastel gradient in the sky. The romanticist in me can't wait to live in a little hut somewhere for a few months. In my dreams, I see myself rising with the sun, drinking coffee while baking some bread. And when I look out over a beautiful landscape through the kitchen window, I won't miss the big city at all. When the bread is done, I'll butter up a thick slice and then get my camera to take a walk outside with the dog. In the evening a fire will be built, and we will cozy up beside it. Most likely we'll toast some marshmallows and drink loose leaf tea.

Secret team!

Warning: Don't like dramatics? Look away now!

                                                                                                                          ©  Chrissie Smolders

Poems should be written about him. Poems that cry of love, of passion and sometimes tears. He's someone I found during the most memorable time of my life so far. And even though he may be across the ocean, and we certainly have some mountains to climb in the future, I found something that I never want to let go.

                                                                                                                        ©  Chrissie Smolders

Dreaming of West Texas

                                                                                                                    Van Horn, 2011 ©  Chrissie Smolders

Last Christmas I was in West Texas for the first time in my life. I spent two days in Van Horn, population 2,500. This small town is covered in silence and surrounded by great mountains and desert plains. The roads are wide and empty, and when the sun shines everything is coated in gold. I walked the streets and climbed the mountains, taking photos of every house, plant and dog that caught my eye. I felt very much an outsider, and I couldn't imagine ever living in such a solitary place. But while working on these images, a new plan formed inside my head.

                                                                                                          Big Buck, 2011 ©  Chrissie Smolders

Someday, I want to pack up my things and move to a place like Van Horn for a while. Next to experiencing a new way of life, it would be the perfect opportunity for a long-term project. I can see the images in my head; perfect compositions of stately mountains, mysterious portraits of the few residents, night photography on the poorly lit roads... Somewhere, there are stories waiting to be told. 

                                                                                                       For sale/lease, 2011 ©  Chrissie Smolders