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Letter W and B with a green leafy branch connecting them on a white background.

Woodrow Blagg

A smiling older man with gray hair wearing a black jacket and a black turtleneck shirt, sitting on a sofa in a room with a wooden cabinet in the background.

Woodrow Blagg (1946–2023)

Woodrow Blagg was a master of contemporary Western art, renowned for his monumental graphite (pencil) drawings depicting the rugged beauty of Texas ranch life.

His work reflects 30 years of firsthand experience living and working alongside cowboys, cattle, and the vast landscapes of northwest Texas.

“It was a real connection with the land. The silence and all of the openness was very impressive. I would go back to the studio and start a four- or five-foot drawing, but that didn't work. I just kept adding pieces of paper on the end of what I'd been completing, and three weeks later, I had a rough sketch that was twenty-one feet long. I found that scale worked. It connected to the experience that I had.”

Collectors include President & Mrs. Ronald Reagan, Ralph Lauren, BMW, JP Morgan Chase Art Collection & more

 “On these ranches you know what enters your nose, what enters your skin; you can feel the heat, you can remember the smells, all of it. That’s organic, and that’s what I am always wanting to happen in my drawings.”

A woman lying on her side on a sleeping mat, resting her head on her hand, with two men nearby, one sitting and one lying down, in a rustic setting with hats and layered rugs or blankets around them.

THE WHITE HAT

“THE WHITE HAT” – MIXED GRAPHITE ON ARCHIVAL RAG PAPER, (APPROX. 48″X 102″)

On a very hot day we are all resting after work. I was lying

next to my friend Jimmy, and like the others, we were relaxing

under the camp-wagon shade. I was thinking about a story Jimmy

told earlier. He talked about once working with a cowboy who wore

a white hat. Despite the hard work, the heat and dust, his hat would

remain spotless.I thought about how this experience may have

affected Jimmy. I looked over my shoulder as if to hear from

him, and in that instant, his eyes were closing. As well, the weariness

of the day soon drew me, too, towards a deep and dreamy sleep.

A dream began about Jimmy, as he was earlier, musing about his

"white hat." On his right was another cowboy whose hat covered and

guarded his rest. Suddenly, his hat began to change, turning from a

worn and dusty black, into a new "white hat." And, in an instant.

reverting back to it's old state, then again, emerging new. Now rapidly

vacillating, the "hat" seemed to offer a cryptic formula. Between it's

"finite" and "infinite" state, an illusion began to assert it's frail,

spherical and dimensional gift. I now focused on Jimmy to see

what might alter his presence. He was gone. So was everyone.

A table replaced the scene of weary men. The legs of the table

were not quite touching the ground. Two figures were sitting at

the table; a young beautiful hispanic woman and an older hispanic

man with shoulder-length white hair and beard. The wind flapping

the tent canopy would, along with a light, joyful laughter, fill the long

and soulful silence. The dream quickly became hazy and soon vanished.

Emerging from the short nap, I felt somewhat transfigured. I thought

how Jimmy too might have dreamed his story of the "white hat."

Our rest was over. In quiet movements we prepared our gear to return

to work. I reached for my hat. It was well-worn and dirty.

So was everyone's. Soon we were back at work, and back

into the heat and dust.

An art exhibition featuring a black and white photograph of children playing, a wireframe sculpture resembling a cube, a two-tone metal geometric sculpture, and wire sketches of geometric shapes displayed on a gallery wall.
A man wearing glasses, a white shirt, and a blue bandana around his neck stands next to a wall with printed text and abstract line art.
Black and white photograph of a young person dressed in bohemian-style clothing, lying on the ground with decorative objects around, including a hat and jewelry, in an art gallery setting.
A black and white artistic photograph of a young man lying on the ground, with a hat, a hatbox, a wallet, a pair of sunglasses, and a watch. The scene has a textured, tile-like or patterned background.
Cluttered desk with colored pencils, paper, glasses, gloves, and various art supplies.
Two cowboys standing outdoors, one with a large hat and fringed chaps looking back, the other facing away, with a hat and jeans, holding a rope.
A man in black clothing standing next to a large photo of a running horse on a wall.
Historical black-and-white photograph of four cowboys on horseback and standing behind a wooden fence, herding cattle in an open field.
An artist working on a large black and white painting of a cowboy riding a horse, with another horse tied to a post and a fence in the background.