Bob “Daddy-O” Wade
& Bert L. Long, Jr.
Lyons Matrix Gallery
through November 9
If you’ve only seen Bob “Daddy-O” Wade’s well-known work — giant dancing
frogs, huge screaming iguanas — you might be surprised to learn that he was
formally trained to paint in the traditional Renaissance style. But one look at
his work in this collection and you’ll be able to see Wade’s education at work.
The paintings are clearly the work of an eccentric artist, but it takes a
well-trained eccentric artist to create a blown-up, hand-painted photo of
smiling cowgirls from the Thirties.
For these works, Wade has taken historic black-and-white photos and images
from nostalgic postcards, enlarged and projected them onto linen fabric, then
painted them with an airbrush. He somehow maintains an excellent resolution
with the photos, even when enlarged 200 percent. The results are
bigger-than-life hula girls, cowgirls, cowboys, and matadors highlighted with
subtle, translucent hues. Wade is like the Ted Turner of art, putting a
colorful twist on cool old images.
As with most of Wade’s work, these pieces carry a Tex-Mex theme, often on a
Texas-sized scale. At the gallery’s entrance, an enormous painting of two stoic
female bullfighters is flanked by two real bull heads, all of it backed by
bright red cloth. It may not appeal to animal rights activists and small
children, but the visual impact is compelling.
Paintings and photos by another Texas native, Bert L. Long, Jr., are also on
display. His works are also replete with Western themes, but in a much
different style from Wade’s. His version of a bull — even more gruesome than
the mounts at the entrance — is a photo of a skinned bull’s head. It’s a work
that caught me off guard, that repulsed me yet hypnotized me. Again, a
compelling visual impact.
It’s interesting how differently these artists interpret very similar ideas.
Though a great show for aficionados of Western imagery, animal rights activists
may be best left at home.
Recent Acquisitions
Various Artists
Yard Dog Folk Art
ongoing display
Artists often take themselves too seriously — okay, writers do, too — and
while artists’ brooding sensitivity can be part of their charm, it’s nice to
discover a few who are free of self-importance, who just make art because they
like to: Like the artists in this show.
Yard Dog is celebrating its first anniversary as a gallery devoted to American
folk art, and they’re marking the milestone with an exhibition of recent
acquisitions by artists including Jim Sudduth, Annie Tolliver, and Mose
Tolliver (a living legend in folk art). They are all self-taught, and most were
raised, and still live, in poverty. Not exactly the kind of atmosphere
conducive to art school. Yet their natural ability to convey a thought or a
message with a paintbrush surfaced and they have made the art that they love.
They now have collectors and galleries specializing in their un-jaded style.
“We love the miracle of these wonderful paintings,” said Yard Dog co-owner
Randy Franklin. “[The artists’ backgrounds] breed a sort of isolation that’s
necessary for this total lack of sophistication. They have a curious lack of
ambition and a curious apathy toward money. It’s very humbling.”
The collection is vibrant and full of dizzying colors, with subjects ranging
from musicians (Willie Nelson seems to be a favorite) to city streets. These
vivid, two-dimensional works possess a sweet, childlike quality, much like the
artists. These works might compel you to think “I could do this.” But the
question is: could you, and would you? — Cari
Marshall
This article appears in October 11 • 1996 and October 11 • 1996 (Cover).