Dawn & Dusk
By David Wilson
Original and unique digital compositions
Framed - with art glass
Framed size: 50x50cm
£425 each
David uses computational tools to create two-dimensional images of three-dimensional digital models and objects and sets these in a studio, complete with lighting and cameras – all virtual.
He created this striking pair of sunflower heads, depicted to suggest the rising and setting of the sun upon them, specially for our winter 2024 exhibition, Wild Things.
"Sunflowers are a popular subject with artists. And yet it is the dying sunflower or, more accurately, the sunflower that is in the process of setting seed that appears to exert the strongest attraction. While a full sunflower might suggest the sun at midday, these images invoke those more liminal moments - Dawn and Dusk.
"I create pictures on a computer, using a set of powerful software tools. My subjects are modelled in three-dimensions using a mixture of direct modelling and programming. Throughout this process I typically find myself studying real flowers or other objects, in order to understand their structure.
"Two-dimensional images are produced using a form of virtual photography (all still in the computer) in which I can set up lighting, choose different viewpoints and so on. Every detail is constructed. The result is output as a file, similar to that produced by a digital camera, which is sent to a professional print shop for printing and framing.
"One peculiarity of a digital artwork is that there is no original. Every print or image on a screen is a reproduction, capable of being replicated an unlimited number of times with no loss of quality. However, I have chosen to adopt the following principle: every print I create is unique, offered in an edition of one and authenticated by means of a serial number, held in a central register. The
uniqueness of the serial number is assured by virtue of the cryptographic system on which it is based)."
ABOUT DAVID WILSON
David is a South Cotswold artist who takes great care in the conception and creation of every image.
He was born and grew up in Manchester where, amongst other things, he worked briefly as an apprentice in the computer industry - then in its infancy. Later at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, he studied mathematics, theoretical physics and architecture - subsequently attending the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London, where I was awarded the Diploma.
The major part of his career was spent in a number of high-technology computer companies where he managed the development of complex simulation software.
After a brief return to architecture, he now devotes himself to the study of nature, geometry and mathematical form and to the creation of representations that reflect these interests.
"My pictures can most accurately be described as simulated photographs of digital constructions. I create a three-dimensional, computer model of my subject, using a variety of geometric methods. Then, in a way that is similar to how a photographer works, I compose my subject, select materials and lighting, and produce a final, two-dimensional digital image, ready for printing.
"I offer my pictures as single-edition variants - each incorporating a numeric serial number embedded in the image itself. This serial number (NFT) serves both as a means of authentication and as a certificate of ownership."