"And when the last Americano in the fullness of time follows the last Spaniard and the last red man into the shadows, this will still be the same poignantly unforgettable land of beauty, its arid mesas, canyons, and deserts lying perpetually beneath an ocean of pure light, and its Sky Gods still pouring frugally from their ollas, their violet-soft rain." -Ross Calvin, "Sky Determines"
"These houses and the people who inhabit them are scattered through 5000 square miles of solitude in the Southwest’s high desert. Most of them don’t know each other and are meeting for the first time in this book. I see them together as a vanguard consciousness, loners in the middle of nowhere, at the end of a jeep road, or dug into a hill. Only the sun can find them. Their houses are self-portraits, ranging from rudimentary to sophisticated. Any resemblances come more from the prevailing powers of mud, space and spirit than from an exchange of personal inspiration." -Noel Young, from the foreword
This book is also available from Echo Point Books as a paperback (ISBN 1648371078).
The idea for this book started some years ago as I looked around at building and realized that the houses I responded to most were built by people for themselves. The individuality and personal warmth stood out.Building your own house is a great satisfaction for most people. It's a very tangible accomplishment and also means having something to say about how you live-an alternative in a world that is increasingly remote and impersonal. All the people in these pages were open and enthusiastic about their building and sharing their experiences with us.In the process of making the book there were times I found it difficult to get on with the business of taking pictures and turning on the tape recorder. I wanted to just be with the people and their houses; sit against a wall protected from the wind in the warm sun and savor the uniqueness of that particular person and place.
When i was asked about this book I had a hard time answering. It's not only about adobe building, it's about people. A house is an expression of the people who build it and live in it.New Mexico has an expansive spirit that may never be tamed. This has been imparted to these houses in a special way. Logs, adobe bricks, mud plaster, and stone are mixed with solar heating, sculpture, and greenhouses-the earth and her spirit. The spirit of tradition and innovation still exists.Working on this book I did a lot of driving, walking, knocking on doors, taking photos and asking questions. Strangers introduced me to their friends and neighbors. It was exciting not only discovering and exploring new houses, but meeting these people. They, their approach to living, and the spirit of their houses gives me new energy in my own work as a builder. I did this book because I wanted to share that energy with others.
Photographing the "Mud Book" has been an odyssey unparalleled in my experience. From a chance glimpse of the manuscript, to a meeting in a Japanese restaurant in San Francisco, and finally a train trip over the Southwestern desert, I have been involved in a fascinating interlude, between the primal past and a harmonious present.As I try to relate my experience a montage of images swarms through my head: snow and mud, dark interiors, bright windows and skylights, long exposures, changing bags, cold feet, wide angle perspective, curious children, and camera-shy adults, plus many miles of travel sharing a tiny backseat with Alex, my camera. In these houses prevailed a feeling of mud and childhood fantasies, an adult extension of backyard forts and tree houses. Somehow, to say any more would take away from what my pictures tell about my experience with these people and their houses.Technical Data: Cameras-Linhof Technika and one old Nikon SP. Lenses-65 mm Super Angulon and 150 mm Sironar. Film-plus-X 4x5 sheets and plus-X roll film.
