Keith Dotson announces new Texas photographs

Fine art photographer Keith Dotson announces major update of new images to his Texas portfolio

With the new year comes a major release of new black and white landscape photographs shot in the Lone Star state. Keith Dotson is excited to announce a major update to his popular Texas portfolio.

Once a Texan, always a Texan. Keith — who now lives in the Nashville area — was raised in Texas and he enjoys returning home to the Lone Star state whenever possible. But, this big update of new images was shot in the high deserts and mountains of West Texas, a region he has rarely visited.

The Texas portfolio actually consists of five sections, an overall Texas page and a set of regional pages to help people quickly focus on a specific place:

About the new work, Keith said, "This update was long over due. The Texas images are among my most popular, and I really needed to add new work. Now I've fleshed out a region of the state that was under-represented."

Keith used one word to describe the landscapes he saw in West Texas . . . "Breathtaking!"

Giant country

Keith spent time in the small towns of Van Horn, Marfa, Presidio, and Valentine. He photographed four mountain ranges: the Davis Mountains, the Guadalupe Mountains, the Chisos, and the Chinati Range.

These rugged ranges rise dramatically from the flat basin of the desert floor. The challenge of the photography is make images that feel as broad and vast as the landscape itself.

This is the ranching territory made famous by the 1956 movie "Giant," starring Rock Hudson, Elizabeth Taylor, and James Dean (in his final movie role).

New black and white photographs of West Texas

These fine art black and white prints are offered on museum-quality paper in a wide variety of sizes, up to 40 x 60-inches or even larger. Custom sizes are available.

Tall Desert Yucca with Mountains on the Horizon: Black and White Landscape Photograph by Keith Dotson. Click to buy a fine art print.

Old Stardust Motel Sign in Marfa, Texas: Black and White Photograph by Keith Dotson. Buy a fine art print.

Keith found this gorgeous, crusty, old neon sign for the long-defunct Stardust Motel on the side of State Highway 90 between Marfa and Valentine. It's difficult to read, but the word "Marfa" overlays the word "Motel" in thin tubes of neon.

Lone Star Finial on an Old Fence in West Texas: Black and White Photograph by Keith Dotson. Click here to buy a fine art photograph.

Keith found this rusty, but beautiful, old iron fence on the property of a big, abandoned house built sometime around 1910. He shot the house of course, but kept feeling drawn to photograph the fence, with its graceful spirals of wrought iron and its iconic lone star finials. The history of the ruined old house is shrouded in mystery. They say "if only walls could talk," but in this case it's more like if only fences could talk.

Tiny Bird Tracks Across Ripples of Sand: Black and White Landscape Photograph by Keith Dotson. Click to buy a signed print.

This mesmerizing photograph of ripples in the sand is nearly abstract, with the soft repetition of the wave pattern interrupted only by the tiny tracks of bird feet. This looks like it could have been shot on the beach, and it could work as part of a beach theme, but it was actually shot in the high desert of West Texas.

Desert House: Black and White Photograph by Keith Dotson. Buy a fine art print here.

This photograph shows a detail of the weathered and cracked paint on the back door of an old house. Years of desert heat, sand storms, and neglect have not been kind to this old door, but the result is an incredible abstract texture that fires the imagination with stories.

Fence Post with Barbed Wire: Black and White Landscape Photograph by Keith Dotson. Buy a print.

This simple but bold photograph takes a common object, a simple wooden fence post — they can be seen in the plains and deserts by the millions — and elevates it to iconic status. With the blurred background and towering composition, the textured wooden post becomes the hero of the landscape.

Abandoned House in a Small Town. Black and White Photograph by Keith Dotson. Buy a fine art photograph here.

For Keith, abandoned houses are among the most compelling subjects. This house was clearly loved and cared for. Look at the beautiful wooden shingles on the gable, and the last vestiges of white paint on the clapboards. It's so poignant to think of all the lost memories that were made within those walls.