| During
a recent trip to NE Texas we visited Rick Vanderpool, perhaps The Georgian most
interested in Texas since Mirabeau Lamar. Rick has a better policy toward Native
Americans than Mirabeau as well as a more masculine-sounding name. There's no
telling how many more streets named Lamar we'd have if Mirabeau had had the name
Rick. For that matter, would Casablanca have become the classic film it is, if
its setting was in Mirabeau's Café American?
The
Dynamo of North Texas Our
meeting with Rick was in his Prairie Rose Studio, inside a former bank
and overlooking Commerce's brick
square.
Rick's
enthusiasm is contagious. After hearing just a few stories of his 254 County sojourn,
we wanted to run, not walk to our car and wear out our odometer. We actually got
as far as the door when we collided with a young woman airing her twins.
Rick's
wife, Judy was ill, but Rick soldiered on, being a perfect host and making sure
we left loaded down with photos and posters. We gave him a Thurber Brick. While
that may be a dubious gift to some, we have waited many years and with all the
kudos, accolades, and bowling trophies we've received, no one has ever given us
a Thurber Brick. Rick's face registered the same reverent and gracious expression
of nearly everyone, everywhere who has ever been given a brick, Thurber or otherwise.
Sitting on a beautiful Bois d'Arc bench in Rick's Studio, we discussed Texas,
its charms and its mysteries in a way that native Texans might've found embarrassing.
Next time we'll invite some and see if they get embarrassed or just leave.
Skinny Texas, Fat Texas, and "Ohmygod! Is that Texas?"
Mr.
Vanderpool, while publisher of the Commerce newspaper, traveled extensively around
the state. Searching for something positive from this experience, and already
a photographer, Rick decided to start photographing Texas.
Not
the legend, not the myth, but Texas the word. Up close and personal. Warts, fire
ants, and all. Texas the word. In marble, in bronze, in plastic and neon; from
windows and tripods and cars without Freon. Hot pink Texas, turquoise Texas, diamond-studded
and bullet-riddled, hell-bent for leather-bound, dog-eared, ridden-hard and put-
up- wet, skies- are- not- cloudy, pebble-grained, stick-to-your-ribs, moth-eaten,
hard-to-swallow, chicken-fried, dyed-in-the-wool, pistol-packin', got-a-hat-on?
Take-your-hat-off! Texas. |
