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DARAH HUBBARD
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DARAH HUBBARD
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DARAH HUBBARD
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DARAH HUBBARD
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DARAH HUBBARD
Abigail Jackson’s artwork is turning heads at Fort Worth’s Bowie House, blending Western imagery, Mexican heritage, and fierce feminism into dazzling portraits.
Born and raised in Cowtown, Jackson’s path to becoming an artist was as unexpected as it was transformative. She attended Texas A&M University with plans to go into the medical field. But when her brother passed away her sophomore year, everything changed.
Jackson began to reevaluate what was truly important to her. Desperate for an outlet, she enrolled in art classes and was immediately hooked. “I realized all that pain and love I was feeling, I could put into my artwork,” she says.
Post-graduation, Jackson spent two years teaching English in Spain. She became enthralled with the influence of Spanish colonialism, both positive and negative, on Mexico, Texas, and the modern West.
Back in Fort Worth in January of 2023, a Fort Worth Magazine cover caught Jackson’s eye. The image, shot by Crystal Wise, featured an escaramuza — a female equestrian in Mexican rodeo — atop a horse in an ornate red gown. “That image touched something deep inside my soul,” Jackson says. She immediately set out to recreate it on a canvas, a process that unexpectedly reconnected her with her grandfather’s Mexican heritage. Since then, Mexican rodeo has remained a staple in Jackson’s work. She even traveled to Mexico City to immerse herself in the culture and capture images to paint.
When Bowie House opened, Jackson became a hostess at the hotel and soon befriended its gallery director, Emily Gregoire. Upon seeing Jackson’s work, Gregoire offered to represent her through Gallery at Bowie House and picked out a corner in the swanky Billet Room to hang her first piece.
Gregoire chose to display Jackson’s “Pamela Blake on the Far Frontier,” a tribute to the iconic Western film actress from the serial, “Ghost of Zorro.” The portrait features a formidable cowgirl wielding a pistol amidst a rugged backdrop of desert and cacti. “I just love the idea of a fierce woman,” Jackson says. Within a month of being on display, “Pamela” sold for $11,000 — an impressive feat for Jackson’s second-ever painting sold.
Since then, that wall in the Billet Room has been reserved exclusively for Jackson’s work. Her current piece on display, titled “Baby, You’re No Good,” features her best friend sporting a Nick Fouquet cowboy hat, a vintage fur coat, and a sterling silver pistol from the 1870s. Her posture, style, and energy exude femininity with a “don’t mess with me” attitude.
Like much of Jackson’s recent work, “Baby, You’re No Good” incorporates a 24-karat gold and sterling silver leaf background — inspired by golden mosaics she encountered on a trip to Ravenna, Italy. Like “Pamela,” the piece sold in record time, so Jackson is working on an even larger gold leaf cowgirl portrait to take its place. “The future of the West is female,” she laughs.
Above all, Jackson hopes her paintings illuminate the common threads and shared heritage that bind us all. “I want to make people feel seen through my work,” she says. “I want to create a world where women are free to be strong, fierce, and fearless, and where Mexican culture is painted on gold where it belongs.”
BY THE WAY...
What are some museums, galleries, or places where you dream of showing your artwork?
“I have dreams about showing my work in other states, like New Mexico and Wyoming. But also, Bowie House is my dream. I never expected to find this treasure at home. I needed to leave Fort Worth, and now the fact that my dreams are here is crazy. I’m also manifesting that I’m in the Cowgirl Museum one day. I want a piece there so badly!”
FROM THE FEED
Abigail Jackson
1. Jackson’s “Pamela Blake on the Far Frontier.”
Abigail Jackson
2. Jackson at Frida Kahlo’s house in Mexico City.
Abigail Jackson
3. Photo taken by Jackson at the rodeo in Mexico City.
Abigail Jackson
4. Jackson’s favorite photo she’s ever taken—Luis Ovando and his horse, Leon, in Mexico City.
Abigail Jackson
5. Jackson’s piece, “Golden Hour,” which she donated to Scottish Rite Hospital’s Summer Colors Art Auction.
Abigail Jackson
6. The escaramuza painting that started it all, based on Fort Worth Magazine’s January 2023 issue.
Abigail Jackson
7. Jackson with her latest painting,“Sundance.”
