Daniel Blagg, a native of Texas, is constantly influenced by the surroundings of his studio warehouse located on the outskirts of downtown Fort Worth. Blagg’s urban realist paintings depict abandoned buildings, decaying gas stations and empty streets. Drawn to these neglected areas that are in a state of limbo, his perspective elevates and reflects elements of Americana experience both ordinary and sublime.
Says the artist of his work: “As an artist, I think that I don’t know all the motives that draw me to a subject. It is both simple and complex, and I prefer to leave it a mystery. I can only say that even though I paint in a realistic way, I try to avoid formula and style. What I hope comes out in the end is the raw signature of emotional observation.”
Collectors of Blagg’s work include: the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, the Museum of South Texas in Corpus Christi, Tyler Art Museum, Old Jail Art Center in Albany, Texas, Grace Museum in Abilene, Texas, the Longview Museum of Fine Arts, Museum of the Southwest, Midland, Texas, Arlington Museum of Art, Shell Oil, The Irving Art Center, Amarillo Museum of Art, the Galveston Arts Center, Exxon, GTE, Sony Pictures, Independent Bank, Texas Christian University (TCU), Texas Instruments, Bank of Texas, Chase Bank, Fidelity Investments, and the Coca- Cola Company. Blagg has also been a finalist in the prestigious Hunting Prize juried exhibition in Houston, Texas.
CV
Selected Solo Exhibitions:
2023 Urban Landscape, Aurelia Gallery, Sante Fe, TX
2022 Edge of the Road, Artspace111, Fort Worth, TX
2018 Roadside Distractions, Lhuca, Lubbock, TX
2017 Roadside Distractions, Tyler Museum of Art, Tyler, TX
2017 Rural Realism, Grace Museum, Abilene, TX
2016 Rambler, Artspace111, Fort Worth, TX
2012 Peripheral Vision, Artspace 111, Fort Worth, TX
2011 The Overlooked Landscape, Fort Worth Community Art Center, Fort Worth, TX
2009 Thrashing About: Letters from the Boneyard, Artspace111, Fort Worth, TX
2006 American Paintings, Kidder Smith Gallery, Boston, MA
2005 Daniel Blagg: New Paintings, Kidder Smith Gallery, Boston, MA
2003-04 Daniel Blagg: Urbanscapes, Museum of the Southwest, Midland, TX
2002 Daniel Blagg New Paintings, Kidder Smith Gallery, Boston, MA
1998 Urbanscapes: Daniel Blagg Paintings, Dallas Visual Art Center, Dallas, TX
1997 In the City, Artspace111, Fort Worth, TX
1993 Urbanscapes, Tarrant County Junior College South Campus, Fort Worth, TX
1992 Daniel Blagg: Watercolors, Templeton Art Center, Fort Worth, TX
1990 New Paintings, William Campbell Gallery, Fort Worth, TX
Selected Group Exhibitions:
2014 Sibling Revelry, Artspace111, Fort Worth, TX
2011 Contemporaries, The Fort Worth Central Library, Fort Worth, TX
2011 Artspace 111, Santa Fe, NM
2011 Connections, Gerald Peters Gallery, New York, New York
2010 AC-X: Ten Years In The Art Corridor, TCC South East Campus, Fort Worth, TX
2009 Landscape Affected, Painting Invitational, Haggerty Gallery, Irving, TX
2009 Preservation is the Art of the City, Community Arts Center, Fort Worth, TX
2008 Fun and Games, Kidder Smith Gallery, Boston, MA
2008 Worth While, Spring Gallery Night, Artspace111, Fort Worth, TX
2008 The Hunting Prize Exhibition, Houston, TX
2007 Featured Artist, Artists Against AIDS, Community Arts Center, Fort Worth, TX
2007 Group Show, Artspace111, Fort Worth, TX
2007 Twin Visions, Longview Museum of Art, Longview, TX
2006 Historic Fort Worth Featured Artist, Community Arts Center, Fort Worth, TX
2006 Spring Gallery Night, Artspace111, Fort Worth, TX
2006 Featured Artist, Preservation is the Art of the City, Community Arts Center, Fort Worth, TX
Selected Group Exhibitions Cont.:
2006 Diverse Journeys: The Blagg Brothers, Old Jail House Art Center, Albany, TX
2005 Journeys: Public & Private, William Campbell Gallery, Fort Worth, TX
2005 Preservation is the Art of the City, Community Arts Center, Fort Worth, TX
2004 Live from Texas: Texas Based Artists take to the Road, Kidder Smith Gallery, Boston, MA
2004 A Sense of Place, Arlington Museum, TX
2003 Longview Museum Invitational, Longview, TX
2003 Fort Worth Six, The Grace Museum, Abilene, TX
2001 Place: Day/Night, Large Paintings by Fort Worth Artist Jim Woodson and Daniel Blagg, Arlington Museum of Art, Arlington, TX
2000 Urban Realities, Galveston Art Center, Galveston, TX
2000 Art in the Metroplex, juror: Annette DiMeo Carlozzi, Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, TX
2000 Edith Baker Gallery, Dallas, TX
1999 In Texas, Tyler Museum of Art, Tyler, TX
1999 Landscape, Rural & Urban, Museum of South Texas, Corpus Christi, TX
1998 New Acquisitions, Museum of South Texas, Corpus Christi, TX
1997 Group Show, curated by James Surls, Abilene Art Museum, Abilene, TX
1996 Healing Wings, William Campbell Gallery, Fort Worth, TX
1996 Urbanscapes, Artspace111, Fort Worth, TX
1993 The Urban Landscape, Cullen Center, Houston, TX
1988 Texas Realism, curated by Betty Moody, TFAA, Traveling Show, TX
1986 Texas Time Machine, Cullen Center, Catalogue Published, Houston, TX
1985 Twelve Texas Painters, University of Texas El Paso, TX
1985 Art in the Metroplex, juror: Henry Hopkins, Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, TX
1985 The Edge of Town,curated by Jim Edwards, The Nave Museum, Victoria, TX
1984 New Paintings: Dennis and Daniel Blagg, Fort Worth Gallery, Fort Worth, TX
1984 American Scene, curated by Alvin Martin, Adam Middleton Gallery, Dallas, TX
1982 Art in the Metroplex, juror: Barbara Rose, Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, TX
1979 Huzzo Blamb Gallery Show, Fort Worth, TX
1979 Grove Street Group Show, KERA Gallery, Fort Worth, TX
1975 Dennis and Daniel Blagg, Fairmount Gallery, Dallas, TX
1975 Southwestern Annual, Fort Worth Art Museum, Fort Worth, TX
1974 Dennis and Daniel Blagg, Ralph Carr Fine Art Gallery, Fort Worth, TX
Selected Museum Collections:
Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, Fort Worth, TX
Longview Museum of Fine Arts, Longview, TX
The Grace Museum, Abilene, TX
Museum of South Texas, Corpus Christi, TX
Museum of the Southwest, Midland, TX
Old Jail House Arts Center, Albany, TX
Tyler Art Museum, Tyler, TX
Selected Collections:
Acme Brick, Fort Worth, TX
Bank One, Fort Worth, TX
Belo Broadcasting, Dallas, TX
Brad Corbett, Dallas, TX; Arlington, TX; Tokyo, Japan
Chase Bank, Fort Worth, TX; San Antonio, TX; Houston, TX; Arlington, TX
Co America Bank, Dallas, TX
Coca- Cola Bottling Company, Dallas, TX
Deloitte & Touche, Washington, D.C.
DFW, Terminal D Project, Dallas, TX
Exxon, Dallas, TX
Fidelity Investments, Dallas, TX
First City, Dallas, TX
Fluor Corporation, Houston, TX
GTE, Irving, TX
Independent Bank, McKinney, TX; Van Alstyn, TX
M Bank, Austin, TX; Houston, TX; Midland, TX; Dallas, TX; San Antonio, TX
Shell Oil, Houston, TX
Sony Pictures, Hollywood, CA
Southwestern Bell, Dallas, TX
Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, TX
Texas Instruments, Plano, TX
Worthington Hotel, Fort Worth, TX
Worth National Bank, Fort Worth, TX
Bibliography:
2009 “The Year in Visual Art,” Gail Robinson, Fort Worth Star Telegram, TX
2009 “Fort Worth Artist presents images of Las Vegas’ Past”, Gail Robinson, Fort Worth Star–Telegram, TX
2009 “Art and Seek”, 360 West Magazine, Fort Worth, TX
2009 “review”, Margo Waller, THE Magazine, Fort Worth, TX
2009 “Paint the town”, Gail Robinson, Fort Worth Star–Telegram, TX
2009 interview, Sharon Benge, Art Matters, WRR 101.1fm
2009 “review”, September, Art in America
2009 “Kidder Smith” in Art in America, Kurt Cole Eidsvig, Boston Museum Examiner, MA
2009 “Canvassing the Hood”, Modern Luxury, Dallas, TX
2008 “Forward March”, Gail Robinson, Fort Worth Star–Telegram, TX
2008 “review”, December, Art in America
2005 “review”, June, Art Forum
2005 “Twin Painters Take Different Paths”, Andrew Marton, Fort Worth Star–Telegram, TX
2005 “Best of the ’Plex”, Anthony Mariani, Fort Worth Weekly, TX
2005 “review”, June, Art in America
2005 “Public Art”, Gail Robinson, Fort Worth Star–Telegram, TX
2002 “review”, Kevin Bouchard, volume 42, Artlies
2001 Place: Day/Night, Large Paintings by Fort Worth Artist Jim Woodson and Daniel Blagg, exhibition catalog, Arlington Museum of Art, Arlington, TX
2000 “Quick Sketch Landscape”, Mike Daniel, Dallas Morning News, TX
2000 “Art & Soul”, Amy Sorter, Woodstock Times, NY.
1999 Daniel Blagg, Urban Landscape Paintings, Jim Edwards and Bil Otton, exhibition catalog, Art Museum of South Texas
1988 “Points of Beauty”, Janet Tyson, Fort Worth Star–Telegram, TX
1986 “Inspiration Found in Parking Lots, Janet Tyson, Fort Worth Star–Telegram, TX
1981 “Real and Surreal”, Texas Homes
Related Experiences:
2008 Instructor, Oil Painting Class, Women’s Center, Fort Worth, TX
2007 Curator, The Gentlings: A Retrospective, Community Arts Center, Fort Worth, TX
2007 Curator, Figuring In: A Survey of 12 figure painters in North Texas, Community Arts Center, Fort Worth, TX
2006 Curator, Boys in the Bend: A landscape show of artist working from Big Bend National Park, Community Arts Center, Fort Worth, TX
2006-08 President of the Exhibition Advisory Panel, Community Arts Center, Fort Worth, TX
1997-98 Board President, Contemporary Art Center of Fort Worth, Fort Worth, TX
1995-96 Board Member, Contemporary Art Center of Fort Worth, Fort Worth, TX
1978-79 Instructor, Advanced Watercolor, Museum of Science and History, Fort Worth, TX
1971 Combat Artist, SEPAC. Long Bein, South Vietnam
Selected Awards & Honors:
2016 Finalist, Hunting Prize
2012 Finalist, Hunting Prize
2009 Cynthia Brants Award, Preservation is the Art of the City
2009 Finalist, Hunting Prize
2007 Featured Artist, Artists Against AIDS
2006 Featured Artist, Preservation is the Art of the City
2005 Cynthia Brants Award, Preservation is the Art of the City