Capri Motel, Raton, New Mexico, 1980

In the 1980s, Steve Fitch was teaching photography at the University of Colorado, Boulder, photographing prehistoric Native rock art, and learning to fabricate his own neon pieces. He was also beginning to make pictures for the series Western Landmarks, largely taken in New Mexico, his first dedicated work with color film. Most of the artist’s “landmarks” wouldn’t make it into a guidebook but are instead the wayfinding devices of the frequent traveler, who measures progress by sighting familiar truckstops, signs, and motels. The pink neon of this motel in Raton was a siren song for the artist, who pulled off the highway to capture its lurid glow against the night sky.