Inspired by Richard Avedon's portraits from In the American West, New York photographer Coke Wisdom O'Neal took the idea of a neutral backdrop and traveling photo studio to extremes. A selection of images from his new series is on view at Mixed Greens Gallery, with an opening reception for the artist tomorrow night.

O'Neal conceived the backdrop for his portraits as a huge wooden box; after trying out the idea with a box of his own making, and friends and family as his subjects, he arranged to produce the project in the south Texas town of San Isidro, population 270. He got in touch with a local rancher, who agreed to build the 24 by 18 foot structure.

Images from The Box, copyright Coke Wisdom O'Neal. Photos courtesy Mixed Greens Gallery.

The box was done in sections, then moved to the local school grounds where it was stabilized with a welded steel frame and guy-wires hooked into concrete footings. The school's science and art teacher helped O'Neal round up the first group of subjects. As word got around, residents began showing up at the site to take a turn before O'Neal's camera. After a week of shooting, more than 100 members of the community, and some of their livestock, had stepped into the frame to pose for posterity.

During the installation this afternoon, O'Neal talked about the process of engaging an entire community in the portrait project. "I use a Deardorff field camera, which is large and impressive. Most of the people who came by had never seen anything bigger than a point-and-shoot, let alone a big and old camera like this one. It immediately got their attention and they became interested in the project. Also, outside of New York," he continued, "I've found that people aren't as camera shy as they can be here."

The size of the box required O'Neal to mount his camera atop a high wobbly ladder on a platform 25 feet away. One assistant steadied the ladder against the wind while another relayed the photographer's directions to his sitters. While the poses were carefully orchestrated, each of the subjects appears to have constructed a persona for the camera.

In a group portrait of Father Rene Angel with his alter boys, all pay rapt attention to the priest's words while one looks straight into the camera. David Renk, a matador who formerly taught at his family's bullfighting school near San Isidro, strikes a pose right out of a Hemingway novel, while his fuchsia cape stands on its own at the edge of the frame. Encarnacion Rodriquez peers inquisitively into the camera while his wife Hortencia stands aloofly by his side; the color of their clothing and even their skin is echoed by the warm mahogany surface of the wooden box. "You can see the landscape in their faces," remarked O'Neal.

A 7-minute video of the installation and the shoot in San Isidrio is on view at the gallery, with a slightly different version playing on YouTube.

The Box: Texas by Coke Wisdom O'Neal opens at Mixed Greens on Thursday, April 23 from 6-8 pm and continues through May 23. 531 West 26^th Street, New York, NY. 212.331.8888. For information, please visit the website.