To muralist Dan Black, a blank wall is a canvas waiting to be turned into a window to his imagination.
鈥淧ublic art is always a gift,鈥� the Denton artist said. 鈥淧eople are allowed to appreciate it who didn鈥檛 have to pay for it.鈥� Black estimates he's painted over a hundred murals since 2008.
Drive around Denton and you'll spot his work; There鈥檚 the two-story, musical motorcyclist painting that adorns the building that once house Andy's bar, The intergalactic lightning storm in a '90s retro style wraps the Free Play arcade, and of course, the 鈥淔oundation of Our History鈥� mural that sits beneath a railway underpass on Robertson Street and Bell Avenue.
鈥淚 think communities are shaped by what they look at every day,鈥� Black said. And he wants to ensure that Denton residents have a diverse range of public art to appreciate.
Each piece Black crafts represents a personal journey of discovery, human connection and learning. The artist said he's always striving to learn new skills.
鈥淭his year, I鈥檇 like to learn bronze casting,鈥� he said, holding up a small bust he recently sculpted.
But his artistic through line comes from the pieces that place him onto a lift 50 feet above the ground, making work 100 times his size.
Black鈥檚 latest commissioned mural will become part of the not-yet-opened, Nevermore Tavern, an Edgar Allen Poe themed-bar slated to open in Old Town Lewisville.
The 四虎影院 ArtsDoc series is a biweekly program featuring artists working in North Texas.鈥�
