This biography from the Archives of AskART:
|  In Scottsdale and the Southwest, the name of Dee Flagg is synonymous with authentic life-size carved characters of the Old West such as Buffalo Bill and Wyatt Earp. He began carving intricate figures and Old West scenes from age 5, and in 1955, his work was first marketed by Atkinson's Indian Trading Center, then in downtown Phoenix and later in Scottsdale.
His work has also been marketed by Knott's Berry Farm in California and is in the collections of Gene Autry and Roy Rogers. He was a colorful character with handlebar mustache, often dressing like Buffalo Bill Cody, and he loved to walk the gallery district in that garb.
He died in Scottsdale on April 23, 1999.
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Excerpted from Dennis June, Bulletin to AskART:
A description of one of Flagg's works, "Taming The Open Range With Barbed Wire" is that it is carved from a single piece of basswood and portrays a Cowboy stringing frontier barbed wire. The figure is adorned in early Western outfit, including chaps, jeans, shirt (with buttons), scarf, well-worn cowboy hat and boots. Note the intricate wire bale. He wears work gloves and carries a hammer, with pliers in a rear pocket.
Flagg is noted for such intricate, imaginative and complete historical details. The 7 1/2 inch figure is a rich specimen of Flagg's mid-career works. It is oil painted in multi-layers adding realism and authenticity to the Old West characteristics of the figure.
"Dee" Flagg (1922-1999) is a woodcarving artist who carved only with hand tools (never using power), which was a source of the artist's pride. His 65-year career earned him scores of awards and artistry honors, including BEST IN SHOW at the world's largest woodcarver's exhibition in Toronto. He has been featured in print, notably "Arizona Highways", on numerous occasions.
The Scottsdale (AZ) Historical Society hosted one-man retrospective honoring Flagg's life and work In August, 1999. Each of Flagg's woodcarvings is individual, original and unique. No reproductions of his works have ever been permitted by the artist or his estate. His works are tightly held in private, civic and corporate art collections.
Collectors of Flagg's works include William S. Hart (California Museum), Gene Autry, Dale and Roy Rogers, and Russell Knott, founder of Knott's Berry Farm. His work is displayed in municipal buildings and museums throughout the West and his larger works were favorites of bank and corporate art collectors. His rendition of Christ in the West is displayed in a prominent Scottsdale, AZ church. Flagg's figures are RARELY offered on the secondary marketplace. |
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