78704 gallery presents:
Bob “Daddy-O†Wade Photoworks: 1971-2015
Bob Wade resides and was born in Austin, TX in 1943. He received a BFA from The University of Texas at Austin, and a M.A. from The University of California, Berkeley. As a university art professor, Bob was a recipient of three NEA grants and included in biennials in Paris, France; New Orleans, LA; and the Whitney Museums of American Art, New York, NY. Collections include, The Contemporary Austin, Chase Manhattan Bank, AT&T, The Wittliff Collections at Texas State University, The Menil Collection, and the Royal Palace Of Monaco.
When Native Austin artist Bob “Daddy-O†Wade (Age 72) wasn’t creating giant artworks around the U.S. “like the 40 foot Giant Lone Star Iguana†for the past 45 years, he was busy working on “photo canvases,†many as big as 20 feet. Hand tinted and airbrushed acrylic over black and white vintage blow-ups of banditos, cowgirls, critters, and topless island girls.
The last solo show of these “photoworks†in Austin was 1996, and now the new 78704 gallery on South Congress is mounting an overdue survey “Daddy-O’s Photoworks: 1971-2015.â€
Bob Wade collects vintage black and white photo postcards of Tex-Mex, rodeo scenes, or simply â€unusual “ subjects. These images are cropped and scaled according to Wade’s sensibility and enlarged onto digital canvas. As legendary singer songwriter Willie Nelson said, “Now that I understand art, I realize what a genius Daddy-O Wade really is.â€
Once stretched, Wade utilizes his academic training as a painter, by airbrushing transparent acrylic color over the surface images, thus “bringing them new life“ with respect and affection for the original photo.
By employing muted tones reminiscent of pre-technicolor movie films, Wade achieves a remarkable number of visual effects with his large-scale photoworks. Humor and irony also pervades his work.
In addition, Wade creates large-scale outdoor sculptures such as the Fish at Hula Hut, and the 40’ tall cowboy boots in San Antonio, which he has recently been honored with a Guinness Book of World Records award.
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