It's a Mess Without You

This project is closely linked to my ongoing, long-term, writer-photographer collaboration "High and Dry" (www.desertdispatches.com). Inspired by the seminal work of Agee/Evans and the WPA generation of artists who applied their personal creativity to documenting a complicated and critical era in U.S. history, I began visiting the derelict structures that are tenuous monuments to our ongoing interaction with arid lands. These photographs explore how the window functions in framing the story of our desert landscapes, specifically juxtaposing the real tragedy of abandoned dreams, loss, absence, and obsolescence with the stoically majestic landscape of this region. The series was featured in a 2017 solo show at Porch Gallery - Ojai: http://porchgalleryojai.com/its-a-mess-without-you-selected-works-by-osceola-refetoff/