Photographer David Yarrow is no stranger to Colorado. In capturing stories of the American wild west, he’s spent years staging striking moments along the railroads of Durango and Silverton, within the canyons of Creede and out on the ranges of Norwood.
Yarrow recently focused his storytelling ventures about 200 miles north and about a century forward from his wild west narratives set in southwest Colorado. This past spring, the renowned fine-art photographer took on the challenge of capturing the wild tales of Aspen, and he did so in a single day.
Yarrow’s first-ever Aspen photo shoot is currently on view at Casterline|Goodman Gallery through Sept. 15. Threaded by the common theme of a 1970s ski vibe meets Aspen glamor, the series includes six photographs and features celebrity subjects such as supermodels Alessandra Ambrosio, Kate Bock, Brooks Nader and Aleska Genesis and actor Wes Studi.
Taken at two legendary locations in the Aspen area — including the Woody Creek Tavern and Cloud Nine Alpine Bistro — Yarrow’s imagery intends to depict the eccentric history and beauty that is so specific to Aspen, embodying the grit of the Gonzo era and wild west motifs.
When deciding on the timing and locations for this Aspen shoot, it was essential to Yarrow that it happened during a ski season with snow on the ground and that the specific places captured would clearly resonate with the Aspen local community.
“Aspen is less to me a summer resort as it is a ski resort — it’s probably the most famous ski resort in the world — so we had to shoot with snow on the ground,” Yarrow said. “I don’t think pictures of people skiing down an anonymous mountain are really art, but if you can tell stories around destinations like Woody Creek and Cloud Nine, we felt it would become something, and something local Aspenites would enjoy.”
Yarrow, who is currently based out of London, coordinated with his team and the cast of celebrities and set the Aspen shoot date for March 17, without realizing at the time that Saint Patrick’s Day fell on the same day, he explained.
“We were in Aspen for one day doing the shoot, and it wasn’t without its challenges,” Yarrow said. “By 5 p.m. on Saint Patty’s Day, of course the Tavern is going to be packed — it was very busy and there were a lot of people around.”
But an expert in his artistry, Yarrow made do. He even incorporated many of the bystanders into his storytelling, noted in one of the final photographs titled “Hunter S. Thompson.”
The black-and-white photo features a Hunter S. Thompson character sitting in an old car beside two of the models in front of the Tavern. A large crowd of smiling locals are gathered around them in the background, many of whom have their hands joyously in the air.
“I think it would be a waste of an opportunity to shoot at Woody Creek Tavern and not make a reference to Hunter S. Thompson because he was synonymous to the place,” Yarrow said. “He’s part of what made Aspen notorious and certainly what made Woody Creek legendary.”
The late afternoon photoshoot at Woody Creek brought more of a cheery challenge with the crowds, but the early morning trek up Aspen Highlands Mountain to Cloud Nine in a snowstorm was a different story.
“The thing about Aspen is the weather can change on you very quickly … I remember that day, the snowstorm in the morning was fairly fierce,” Yarrow recalled. “But when everything is in place, you have to go ahead regardless of the weather, and we learned to adapt.”
Production costs were around $200,000 for the single-day shoot in Aspen, Yarrow said, and despite the obstacles, the photographer and his team persevered. Yarrow mentioned that their day of work started at 4 a.m. and didn’t end until 8 p.m. that evening.
Like his connection to the state of Colorado, Yarrow — who has been represented by Casterline|Goodman as a primary artist for nearly four years and has been visiting the valley long before he established his relationship with the gallery — is no stranger to Aspen either.
And while the photographer’s iconic shot of a wolf on a bar surrounded by a crew of characters has been seen in numerous collections of his works over the years, Yarrow’s Aspen iteration of the peculiar scene — titled “Lock in at Woody Creek Tavern” — is exceptionally striking.
“The wolf is a metaphor — everyone has a wolf inside of them — and the wolf adds that sense of the wild west,” Yarrow said. “I haven’t used a wolf since that Aspen shoot … there are some locations where the wolf makes sense, and Aspen is one of them.”
Yarrow’s new Aspen series is among many new artworks on the walls of Casterline|Goodman Gallery this summer. Opening at the gallery’s primary location today is an exhibition by Alison Van Pelt, who recently signed with Casterline|Goodman as a primary artist.
Titled “The Wild,” Van Pelt’s debut exhibition at Casterline|Goodman features her large-scale, statement paintings and will be on-view starting today through Sept. 15. The artist is coming to Aspen for a gallery reception on August 4.
Additionally, 25-year-old artist Alexander Höller is showcasing his exclusive new series at the gallery this summer. Based in Munich, Höller was an artist-in-residence at Casterline|Goodman in the spring, where the young, talented artist created his works that are now on display at the gallery.