Edge of the Road Opening Reception

Artspace111

Join us for the Opening Reception of Edge of the Road | Daniel Blagg and Jill Johnson 
An Exhibition of the Spirit of the American West.

Edge of the Road | Daniel Blagg and Jill Johnson An Exhibition of the Spirit of the American West November 3, 2022 – January 7, 2023 Opening Reception Thursday, November 3 5:30-7:30pmArtspace111 presents Edge of the Road by painter Daniel Blagg and photographer Jill Johnson. These two Fort Worth artists have each documented their individual journey by keeping eyes on the trademarks of commerce and struggle. The spirit of the American west that lingers off the roads and byways and crisscrosses the landscape is evident in the stark, reminiscent compositions they explore. Johnson’s trusty Hasselblad camera and Blagg’s paintbrushes are the tools of that exploration. Ages of consumer lure and signs of a bygone humanity are at play throughout the exhibition. Daniel Blagg and Jill Johnson’s ability to create a surreal world of symbols from seemingly dystopian landmarks often found along Texas Highways, remind viewers of a not-so-distant past, and an ever-uncertain impending future. Johnson’s photographs give a false sense of permanence while Blagg’s paintings question the realities of commercialism. On the edge of the road, the iconic detritus that beckons, has often outlived its purpose and reminds us of where we’ve been and gives a glimpse as to where we might be heading. About Daniel BlaggA well-known figure of the contemporary Fort Worth art scene, Daniel Blagg has worked in the DFW area for over four decades. Blagg creates compositions that are both large-scale and intimate, familiar, and unfamiliar, through his realistic style and chosen subject matter. Inspired by the surroundings of his studio warehouse on the outskirts of Fort Worth, his paintings of deteriorating road signs, empty streets, and vacant buildings examine urban decay and the byproducts of American capitalism. Blagg is interested in portraying what society discards; what once was useful is now abandoned and left to rot with no thought of recycling or re-use. According to Blagg, this wastefulness is particularly evident in American culture, where advertising is driven by the constant and even desperate desire to make a profit, without regard for the ramifications of this model of economic enterprise.About Jill Johnson Celebrated for her sense of fun, her discriminating eye for detail and her insight into vanishing small-town Texas, Jill Johnson honors her childhood memories with these images through a Hasselblad lens. Raised in Houston, Johnson spent summers working on family farms both in Bushland and Muleshoe — two tiny towns that loomed large in her life. It was there she developed a love for capturing moments in time forever on film. A sign, a scene, a setting. A small-town corner of the way it was, held hostage as time keeps marching on. In every image, Johnson creates a sense of color, balance and play. Wit and whimsy with a wink that acknowledges the only thing that stays the same is the backdrop. The land, the buildings, the things that all anchor us to this wild and crazy place called Earth — and even more specifically, Texas. The irony of her still images? They move you…to remember where we’ve been … while keeping an ever-watchful eye on where we’re headed.

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Edge of the Road Opening Reception

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Edge of the Road Opening Reception

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