A visual artist interview with photographer and talented mezcal maker Tony Farfalla. We spent a winters day lost in White Sands, New Mexico filming this piece. The story behind this communion with Tony was quite special; He and I met 10 years ago and ventured to New Mexico together for our first time. A decade ago, I fell in love with this land and I could feel stories of past lifetimes pulling me here, murmuring a sense of home into my ears as my eyes were so overwhelmed by the magnificent beauty. Whenever I’ve imagined myself living here and welcoming in the kindred spirits that have been meaningful to my life, I have always envisioned myself welcoming Tony in my adobe walled home. As a dear friend, fellow creative and soulful human, the exchange of creative seeds has been continous for the last decade. Now that I am home, it was so heart warming to me, especially after not having any close friends upon landing here during a pandemic.
White Sands itself holds a very personal story to me. When I was 13, my grandfather passed and I was heart-broken as my grandfather held such a prominent place in my life. He was a story-teller, adventurer, lively and passionate spirit so rooted in family. I used to wander amongst his books in his library and it was my initial intro to the American Southwest; his library was full top to bottom with books on the settling of New Mexican Territory, it’s catalogues of histories of Indigenous peoples, it’s navy hardback books dusty with legacies of wars made by men all across the globe and I would time travel while my little fingers ran across the titles. Upon his passing, I found a brochure for White Sands tucked between the books and the my curiosity was piqued. For 25 years, I waited to greet this place my grandfather has visited and felt some impact from by scribbling words on the brochure in response to it’s breath-taking beauty. I had every intention of sitting down around sunset, smoking a tobacco and honoring my grandfather’s impression on me upon arriving. Alas, sometimes, the creative rush takes a hold and with a sunset beginning to settle over the cool sands of winter and a rose filled sky dappled with baby pink clouds, I couldn’t resist the urge to go with the flow in front of the camera. Here is what we captured in a place, in a time I will always cherish. I’m grateful to Madre Mezcal for this Woven Landscapes portrait.
You may find Madre Mezcal here and read about it’s fascinating collection of artist interviews.