Desolate Barns of the American West: Abandoned Institutions of Northern California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Montana (American and European Architecture) Contributor(s): Vickers, Marques (Photographer) , Vickers, Marques (Author)

This edition represents a photographic celebration of damaged and often abandoned barns and silos located within the rural Western United States. Over fifty structures are photographed amidst a backdrop of panoramic mountains, turbulent rivers, and sagebrush flatlands. Many are inaccessible via roadways or difficult to approach due to private property restrictions. The captured images are spread over California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Montana.

The objective of this photography project is to isolate the abandoned and frequently decaying remnants of a uniquely national architecture treasure. Barns and silos represent an iconic and important American rural tradition.

An altered historic frontier has left many of these monoliths forsaken and deteriorating organically into the landscape. American agriculture has become forever transformed by advanced machinery, technology and the consolidation of land holdings. These remaining stately buildings represent a crossroads between traditional rural lifestyle and the effects of modernity.

In numerous instances, timber-framed structures undergo a gradual deterioration before collapsing into splinted heaps. Their disintegrating structural supports corrode until gravity ultimately prevails. The wood remnants are often simply left to blend harmoniously into the natural surroundings.The isolation and expansive landscape of the American northwest provides an evocative comparison to contemporary confined urban and suburban environments. The continuity of these utilitarian structures remains timeless despite their condition.

Biographical Note:
Visual Artist, Writer and Photographer Marques Vickers is a California native presently living in the San Francisco Bay Area and Seattle, Washington regions. He was born in 1957 and raised in Vallejo, California. He is a 1979 Business Administration graduate from Azusa Pacific University in the Los Angeles area. Following graduation, he became the Public Relations and ultimately Executive Director of the Burbank Chamber of Commerce between 1979-84. He subsequently became the Vice President of Sales for AsTRA Tours and Travel in Westwood between 1984-86. Following a one-year residence in Dijon, France where he studied at the University of Bourgogne, he began Marquis Enterprises in 1987. His company operations have included sports apparel exporting, travel and tour operations, wine brokering, publishing, rare book and collectibles reselling. He has established numerous e-commerce, barter exchange and art websites including MarquesV.com, ArtsInAmerica.com, InsiderSeriesBooks.com, DiscountVintages.com and WineScalper.com. Between 2005-2009, he relocated to the Languedoc region of southern France. He concentrated on his painting and sculptural work while restoring two 19th century stone village residences. His figurative painting, photography and sculptural works have been sold and exhibited internationally since 1986. He re-established his Pacific Coast residence in 2009 and has focused his creative productivity on writing and photography. His published works span a diverse variety of subjects including true crime, international travel, California wines, architecture, history, Southern France, Pacific Coast attractions, fiction, auctions, fine art marketing, poetry, fiction and photojournalism. He has two daughters, Charline and Caroline who presently reside in Europe.