Artist Statement

Brazos de Dios

Like many others along the meandering miles of Texas riverbanks, my hometown of Richmond, Texas, came to life in the 1800's as a result of, and in reliance upon, the Brazos River. The old-timers still tell of a time when this river was a truly navigable waterway and an artery of social and commercial life. I have lived close to this river for my entire life. I have swam in it, fished it, traveled it, and simply stared at it in motion. I have seen it flood and destroy farms, hopes, and dreams, then bring back life to those very same farms, hopes, and dreams. Much is owed to this river. Unfortunately, we have systematically attempted to destroy it, most commonly by indifference. I am surprised we have been unable to complete the job. We have dammed it, altered its course, dumped in it, and introduced things into it that were certainly never intended to be part of a river. But the Brazos survives... in a sadly different way. A way in which we all share some level of responsibility. This series began as an effort to document the ways we have harmed this waterway. Somewhere in the process, the project changed. No longer was I just focusing on the damage, the beauty of the river began to emerge. What we have done to the Brazos will take years, perhaps generations, to reverse, but portions of it remain incredibly beautiful. This, I do know... the river is constant. It was gracefully meandering toward the Gulf of Mexico when I got here, and it will continue long after I am gone. ***** The project was conceived in 2000 and completed in 2002. It is comprised of forty color images. It could very easily be an ongoing series, never completed. The geographic scope of the series is the lower one-third of the river. Brazos de Dios, translated the Arms of God, was misnamed by the Spanish. It should have been the Colorado. My desire for this project is to be accurate, beautiful, and culturally relevant. If I have succeeded, by simultaneously showing the damage and beauty, perhaps these images will matter. Marty Carden 2002

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