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EARLY “CONSTRUCTED PAINTINGS”
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| From 1977 through 1986 Douglas Fenn Wilson pioneered
and perfected his “constructed paintings,” a fusion
of realism, geometric abstraction, and bas-relief. The years spawned
almost 300 paintings of this style, mostly works on paper, either
watercolors or pastels, and were exhibited in galleries and museums
across America. In 1981 New York’s Fishbach Gallery exhibited
a collection of thirty, mostly inspired by Wilson’s six-month
sojourn to Polynesia in 1980. The image below, though executed a
little later, numbers among the best of his Tahitian inspired “constructed
paintings.” |
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| 1) The artist’s first step is to execute the two-dimensional
painting. (watercolor on 300lb cold pressed paper). While he is careful
to render the upper third as fluidly and naturalistically as possible,
he simultaneously begins reducing the painting’s lower half
into hard-edged geometric shapes (based on an under-drawing.) |
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| 2) Here the two-dimensional painting, its edges trimmed
to draw out the geometry of the lower portion, is nearly complete. |
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| 3) The artist now tackles the process of making the
painting’s lower portion three-dimensional. He traces the painting’s
geometric plan onto acetate, assigns a numerical level to the squares
of color he wants raised or lowered, and based on the numbered plan,
creates a foamcore foundation. |
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| 4) Next, the artist, begins cutting the watercolor into
various components. |
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| 5) Here, he has mounted the watercolor and some of its
cut-out shapes onto the foamcore foundation. Piece by piece, he mounts
the components onto various levels until the painting is entirely
re-assembled. (Note: at this stage the artist gives special attention
to integrating the painting’s realism and geometry and bas-relief
into a seamless whole.) |
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| 6) Here, after several weeks, “Fallen Palms”
stands completed. |
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