Photographer Douglas Friedman Reveals His Personal Connection to a Will Cotton Artwork
The celebrated talent, whose book Full Spectrum: Interiors & Portraits launches this fall, shares the magical piece that reminds him of living in Marfa
Yvonne Force Villareal and her husband, Leo, started an artist-in-residence program called Brite Force at their house in Marfa, Texas, where I also had a home for some time. Will Cotton was the first artist for the project, and we all went to a real ranchers’ rodeo in Alpine, Texas. Will took some photos there and then turned those images into the most incredible paintings, where he transformed all the horses into unicorns. They were part of the most fabulous show at the Villareals’ Brite House.
The works were these candy-colored confections, but there was one that looked like a charcoal sketch, although it was oil paint in shades of gray, black, and white. I just fell so in love with it. The unicorn is kind of bending down toward the fallen rodeo rider, and there’s a dark, brooding quality that’s so beautiful.
The painting now hangs in the living room of my house on Long Island on this striking green plaster wall. It’s special because I was there when the artist created the source material, so I feel very connected to it. It brings me back to my time living in Marfa and reminds me of a very important part of my life that I’m slowly moving away from.
A version of this article first appeared in print in our 2026 Fall Issue in the section “In Focus.” Subscribe to the magazine.