Dan Wilkerson Original Hand Engraved Skull Cage Zinc Art Plate
Daniel Wilkerson (1961-2003), an artist from Lynchburg Virginia most noted for his printmaking, created a varied collection of works throughout is 42 years.
He experimented with different mediums including acrylic painting, printmaking, wooden sculpture, and engraving, and in his short career, eventually mastered the engraving process. Although largely self-taught, he took art classes in high school and at Central Virginia Community College. Wilkerson studied engraving under skilled artisans, learning metal engraving in a specialty shop in Lynchburg and emerging later, as a knife engraver. Wilkerson has been described as a “master engraver” by buyers and sellers of his ornate knives. His engraved knives are prized and can be viewed on specialty sites on the World Wide Web.
According to his family, Wilkerson’s love of art began during adolescence as he frequented the local libraries, returning hours later with heaps of books about famous artists. Although he supported himself by engraving knives, his love of the process of engraving metal led him to make an artistic leap from knife-engraving to metal plate engraving and printmaking. These original hand engraved zinc print plates are fantastic and one of a kind.
Wilkerson’s prints are especially influenced by the works of 15th century Netherlandish artist, Hieronymous Bosch, and 16th century artists Pieter Bruegel the Elder, including the image of the Big Fish Eating the Little Fish. Like the artists of the Northern Renaissance, many of Wilkerson’s prints include memento mori (remember that you are mortal) imagery such as skulls, or skeletons. Some of the prints are embellished with marginalia, or images doodled in the margins, and are populated by otherworldly animals, biomorphic forms, and dark subject matter: skulls, ferocious imaginary beasts, figures transforming into odd and impossible things (a face turning into wood; a foot turning into a hand; living skeletons). Some of the images suggest Wilkerson’s feelings of isolation from others. A lone human figure is seen in the lycral image, Running, Reaching Man, and may function as the artist’s psychological self-portrait: a handsome lad, dressed in a suit, barefooted, running through a pristine wilderness, reaching toward the sky, face-up tilted, seeking something good. In addition to this idealized self-portrait, the energetic ink and wash self-portrait study in profile portrays the artist in an everyday pose.
The artist suffered from bipolar disorder and was treated for his disorder, even institutionalized for a time, and his work reflected these changes. According to family, his art became less expressive and more docile during time periods when he was on heavy medication or in the hospital. During his lifetime, Daniel Wilkerson’s works were mounted in several Virginian exhibits. He died in August of 2003 from cancer.
Sweet Briar College Professor of Studio Art, Laura Pharis, described Wilkerson’s work as exhibiting a generous quality: “If you look at a really good artist’s work it’s like they’re giving you all that they have – a cornucopia,” she said. “His work has that kind of generosity.”
This Original Hand Engraved Zinc Plate measures 3 1/4" wide by 3" tall.
He experimented with different mediums including acrylic painting, printmaking, wooden sculpture, and engraving, and in his short career, eventually mastered the engraving process. Although largely self-taught, he took art classes in high school and at Central Virginia Community College. Wilkerson studied engraving under skilled artisans, learning metal engraving in a specialty shop in Lynchburg and emerging later, as a knife engraver. Wilkerson has been described as a “master engraver” by buyers and sellers of his ornate knives. His engraved knives are prized and can be viewed on specialty sites on the World Wide Web.
According to his family, Wilkerson’s love of art began during adolescence as he frequented the local libraries, returning hours later with heaps of books about famous artists. Although he supported himself by engraving knives, his love of the process of engraving metal led him to make an artistic leap from knife-engraving to metal plate engraving and printmaking. These original hand engraved zinc print plates are fantastic and one of a kind.
Wilkerson’s prints are especially influenced by the works of 15th century Netherlandish artist, Hieronymous Bosch, and 16th century artists Pieter Bruegel the Elder, including the image of the Big Fish Eating the Little Fish. Like the artists of the Northern Renaissance, many of Wilkerson’s prints include memento mori (remember that you are mortal) imagery such as skulls, or skeletons. Some of the prints are embellished with marginalia, or images doodled in the margins, and are populated by otherworldly animals, biomorphic forms, and dark subject matter: skulls, ferocious imaginary beasts, figures transforming into odd and impossible things (a face turning into wood; a foot turning into a hand; living skeletons). Some of the images suggest Wilkerson’s feelings of isolation from others. A lone human figure is seen in the lycral image, Running, Reaching Man, and may function as the artist’s psychological self-portrait: a handsome lad, dressed in a suit, barefooted, running through a pristine wilderness, reaching toward the sky, face-up tilted, seeking something good. In addition to this idealized self-portrait, the energetic ink and wash self-portrait study in profile portrays the artist in an everyday pose.
The artist suffered from bipolar disorder and was treated for his disorder, even institutionalized for a time, and his work reflected these changes. According to family, his art became less expressive and more docile during time periods when he was on heavy medication or in the hospital. During his lifetime, Daniel Wilkerson’s works were mounted in several Virginian exhibits. He died in August of 2003 from cancer.
Sweet Briar College Professor of Studio Art, Laura Pharis, described Wilkerson’s work as exhibiting a generous quality: “If you look at a really good artist’s work it’s like they’re giving you all that they have – a cornucopia,” she said. “His work has that kind of generosity.”
This Original Hand Engraved Zinc Plate measures 3 1/4" wide by 3" tall.
$2,950.00
In stock
| Knife Maker | Dan Wilkerson |
|---|---|
| Condition | Excellent |
