Last month at the Amarillo Museum of Art, photographs by Wyatt McSpadden played a major role in the museum’s “Cadillac Ranch at 50” exhibit. McSpadden is an Amarillo native who spent part of the 1970s working for eccentric, controversial arts patron Stanley Marsh 3. That proximity put him in a position to document the installation of the Cadillac Ranch in 1974 and to spend time with the crew of artists and colorful characters in Marsh’s orbit—including the iconic fashion photographer Richard Avedon, who came to dinner one night. “I was just one of the Toad Hall gang,” he says of Marsh’s estate north of Amarillo. “Interesting people came through all the time. It was a wild, vibrant scene.” 

McSpadden had an interest in photography at the time but “didn’t know what I was going to do about it.” His family had been in the grocery business, after all. But he ended up being present for much of the development of the Cadillac Ranch concept by Chip Lord and the Ant Farm, under Marsh’s patronage. When the Cadillacs were buried, McSpadden was there to take photos. “That was major for me. I wasn’t really supposed to be out there—I was supposed to be doing chores at Toad Hall—but I couldn’t stay away. It just triggered something in me.”

In 1976, McSpadden began advertising his services as a freelance photographer, working for Amarillo ad agencies. When Texas Monthly wanted a portrait of Marsh related to a 1978 feature on the T. Cullen Davis murder trial, the publication contacted McSpadden. His photograph got a full page in the magazine. “That put a hook in me to start thinking about going to a different market and trying different things,” he says. 

He has remained a contributing photographer for Texas Monthly ever since, and moved to Austin in 1992 to focus more on editorial photography. Today, McSpadden’s documentary-style work is nationally known. His Texas-focused subject matter resides in permanent collections and museums from Houston’s Museum of Fine Arts to AMoA. He’s also the photographer behind the popular books Texas BBQ (2009) and Texas BBQ: Small Town to Downtown (2018).

Though no longer an Amarillo resident, McSpadden’s ongoing connection to the city brings him back from time to time, and Amarillo continues to feature in his work—from his photos of barbecue joints to his coverage for Texas Monthly. “I feel claustrophobic around all these trees,” he says of living in Central Texas. Amarillo’s big horizon provides a sense of relief. “The biggest influence on me is all about the sky. The background is the sky but it’s an essential part of the picture. I still come up just to take pictures for that reason alone—the horizon line.”

Brick & Elm asked him to share some of his favorite Amarillo photos with our readers, and he graciously agreed. 

For a Texas Monthly cover story about the ranching business, McSpadden took this photo on the JA Ranch. Still operational today, the ranch was established in 1876 by John Adair and Col. Charles Goodnight (see Wes Reeves’ history on p. 117). McSpadden feels comfortable in that setting; his Amarillo advertising career had involved work for the McCormick Agency, which managed major contracts with companies like Pioneer Seeds. “That work turned me onto a whole world of agribusiness, ranching and farming,” he says.
For a Texas Monthly cover story about the ranching business, McSpadden took this photo on the JA Ranch. Still operational today, the ranch was established in 1876 by John Adair and Col. Charles Goodnight (see Wes Reeves’ history on p. 117). McSpadden feels comfortable in that setting; his Amarillo advertising career had involved work for the McCormick Agency, which managed major contracts with companies like Pioneer Seeds. “That work turned me onto a whole world of agribusiness, ranching and farming,” he says.
Locals may remember a brief moment of national attention in 2010, when religious activist David Grisham was attempting to burn a copy of the Quran during a protest at Sam Houston Park. Jacob Isom was skateboarding through the park at the time and snatched the Quran away from Grisham, reportedly saying, “Dude, you have no Quran!” The incident went viral and was covered by media outlets across the country. Texas Monthly sent McSpadden to Amarillo for a portrait of Isom, shown here in front of another Stanley Marsh-related landmark, “Ozymandias of the Plains.”
Locals may remember a brief moment of national attention in 2010, when religious activist David Grisham was attempting to burn a copy of the Quran during a protest at Sam Houston Park. Jacob Isom was skateboarding through the park at the time and snatched the Quran away from Grisham, reportedly saying, “Dude, you have no Quran!” The incident went viral and was covered by media outlets across the country. Texas Monthly sent McSpadden to Amarillo for a portrait of Isom, shown here in front of another Stanley Marsh-related landmark, “Ozymandias of the Plains.”
For the cover of the cowboy poet Buck Ramsey’s album, Rolling Uphill from Texas, McSpadden had the idea to capture a horse in motion behind Ramsey’s wheelchair, shot on medium-format film on a ranch north of Bushland. “I can’t believe we got it,” he says of the formally composed image. “The blur of the horse tells the story. It’s one of my favorite pictures I’ve ever done.” The original photo is now part of The Wittliff Collections at Texas State University.
For the cover of the cowboy poet Buck Ramsey’s album, Rolling Uphill from Texas, McSpadden had the idea to capture a horse in motion behind Ramsey’s wheelchair, shot on medium-format film on a ranch north of Bushland. “I can’t believe we got it,” he says of the formally composed image. “The blur of the horse tells the story. It’s one of my favorite pictures I’ve ever done.” The original photo is now part of The Wittliff Collections at Texas State University.
When local cattle ranchers sued Oprah Winfrey after a segment on her show about mad cow disease, Texas Monthly sent McSpadden to Amarillo to cover the high-profile 1998 trial. “I got one distant picture of Oprah,” he says. Needing to find other beef-related content, he ended up at the city’s famous Beef Burger Barrel on Plains Boulevard, and captured this photo. “It’s such a classic place.”
When local cattle ranchers sued Oprah Winfrey after a segment on her show about mad cow disease, Texas Monthly sent McSpadden to Amarillo to cover the high-profile 1998 trial. “I got one distant picture of Oprah,” he says. Needing to find other beef-related content, he ended up at the city’s famous Beef Burger Barrel on Plains Boulevard, and captured this photo. “It’s such a classic place.”
When Brick & Elm planned our 2023 feature about Prayer Town, we were inspired by this Texas Monthly photo, taken on the property of this religious community near Boys Ranch on Highway 385. McSpadden’s 2016 photo accompanied a piece by Bob Phillips about the sisters of Prayer Town. It was his first time to visit. “I had driven by a thousand times on the way to New Mexico,” he says. McSpadden attended St. Joseph Catholic Elementary School in Amarillo, where some of the sisters once taught. “I’m a lapsed Catholic, but I talked to them about that,” he remembers. “They were really into this picture, which I love. It tells the story—the Canadian [River] breaks, the big sky, the wonderful hill.”
When Brick & Elm planned our 2023 feature about Prayer Town, we were inspired by this Texas Monthly photo, taken on the property of this religious community near Boys Ranch on Highway 385. McSpadden’s 2016 photo accompanied a piece by Bob Phillips about the sisters of Prayer Town. It was his first time to visit. “I had driven by a thousand times on the way to New Mexico,” he says. McSpadden attended St. Joseph Catholic Elementary School in Amarillo, where some of the sisters once taught. “I’m a lapsed Catholic, but I talked to them about that,” he remembers. “They were really into this picture, which I love. It tells the story—the Canadian [River] breaks, the big sky, the wonderful hill.”