Non-preconception

UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
Dennis James Evans (Creator)
Institution
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/
Advisor
Gilbert Carpenter

Abstract: Of the pieces exhibited, the canvas structures are the only originals. The remaining works are cast from stretched canvas constructions--some directly and some from molds taken from the constructions. A wooden frame was first constructed. These frames emphasize geometric shapes and simple curves. Limiting the frames to basic shapes enabled a controlled and simplified form. The canvas is then stretched as taut as possible by hand and boiling water is applied to remove all the wrinkles through shrinkage and to create the desired tension. The form of the canvas is basically dependent on the design of the frame but can be easily altered by the pulling of the cloth, as there are many variations in relation to the pull on horizontals, verticals and diagonals. Although the stretched canvas is in its purest state, a skin over a structure, I found it necessary to reproduce it into a material that would not be as vulnerable to dents, punctures, and the quick aging the canvas forms seem to go through. The larger ones, especially, can be compared to the slow collapse of a balloon. Coating the canvases with paint, gesso or polyester resin offers some resistance to this "quick aging," but at the same time causes the dents to become more permanent. This fragility of the canvas forms makes the additional step of reproduction in plaster, fiber-glass and bronze a necessity for me.

Additional Information

Publication
Thesis
Language: English
Date: 1971

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