by Bruce Wells | Feb 11, 2025 | Petroleum Art
Artist Bob “Daddy-O” Wade used petroleum pipelines to create a Texas landmark.
With more than 2.5 million miles of oil and natural gas pipelines crisscrossing the United States, an offbeat Texas sculptor in 1993 repurposed about 70 feet to create a work of art.
Many Texas travelers at some point have witnessed the monumental sculptures of Bob “Daddy-O” Wade, known for “keeping it weird” since he made the scene in Austin in 1961. Decades of giant artworks by “Daddy-O” have reflected his unusual Texas sense of scale. (more…)
by Bruce Wells | Jun 21, 2024 | Petroleum Art
Alexandre Hogue and other artists depicted America’s oilfields during the Great Depression.
“Oil Fields of Graham,” a 1939 mural by Alexandre Hogue, can be found in its original Texas community’s U.S. Postal Service building, a Graham museum preserving the work of oil art.
During the Great Depression, when President Franklin Roosevelt created public projects like the New Deal Federal Arts Program, Alexandre Hogue and other artists received commissions to illustrate scenes of America and its history on the walls of public buildings.
Among his paintings, the artist’s petroleum-related work include “Oil Fields of Graham” (1939), a 12-foot mural now on exhibit in the city’s historic U.S. Post Office building.
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