Dawn in the ghost-town of Golden, New Mexico. This appears to be one of the houses of the few people living in this place detached from the world
An abandoned mobile home shines in the dawn light
Cactuses are brittle skeletons in the snow
Barbed wire, snow, and cactuses give the impression that this is not a place to walk without care
A local has been creating art with roadside waste
This house lies near the southern road into the ghost town called Golden
Much of the porch has begun to fall down
The windows are covered with dirt, making it hard to see inside
Further along the building, a cracked pane reveals eerie echoes of the domestic life that once occurred there
The building is not completely lifeless
The coffee pot sits on top of the cooker, and it seems to have been decades since it was last touched
The cooker looks like it was once a prestige item, and seems out of place among the rest of the decay
In a side room, ceiling plaster and books scatter the floor
‘The American Peoples’ Encyclopedia’
Women’s shoes are among the debris and books. ‘James Beard’s Menu For Entertainment’, ‘Window on the Square’
The sofa looks like others might have stayed here since the time the building was abandoned by its true owner
Whoever left didn’t take most of the crockery with them. This was the darkest room, and somehow was the most empty feeling: the everyday pieces of life sit there, and probably will until the weather finally pulls the building to the ground
Outside, dawn in rising
For the few people left living in Golden, the view must be a solace against isolation.
Group image of five oil on canvas paintings by Mata Haggis, 2013
I wanted to see the how the collection was coming along at the halfway-stage before my first exhibition. I’m pleased with how they look together. I hadn’t previously thought consciously about my personal style and themes, but it becomes clear that there are strong commonalities when these are looked at as a group.
