ABOUT RKW
A native Washington, DC fine artist RKW's work can be found in private collections, public spaces, or communication design
Robert Kent Wilson is a native Washingtonian and a fine artist working in many mediums with applications onto different materials including canvas, vinyl, wood and paper. His recent work explores striking, abstract landscapes and color fields contrasted by natural organic patterns and textures. His creative process extracts focal points from disregarded materials, then without pure figuration or sharpness of focus, bring once unnoticed details into sharp relief. The results are applied to paper, canvas, vinyl, or wood, and often finished with reclaimed materials.
Robert received a BFA in Fine Arts from the Tyler School of Art where he studied art and design with a special interest in experimental film making. Upon graduation, he began a successful career in graphic design that eventually allowed him to pursue his fine art again, garnering exhibitions of his work in more than two dozen solo and group shows recently in New York City, Washington DC, and Maryland.
Additionally, Robert has completed a number of private commissions and public art projects. Working in the public art sector of the fine art world for 15 years, he is experienced in successfully completing diverse projects with complex factors. Robert has worked alongside of City Planners, Architects, Landscape Architects, Engineers, Government Staff and Community Groups on many occasions and can confidently communicate and work among varied professionals as part of a team.
When he’s not creating art, Robert is the Founding Principal Designer and Creative Director at the design firm, BLANK and a part time design professor at the Catholic University School of Architecture in Washington, DC.
A hyper-focused creative process
Taking as his starting point what he calls “discarded stimuli”, or those normally overlooked points of focus, RKW assembles minimalist collage pieces often pulled from written text, drawings, and photographs such as discarded photos, old printed materials, and elements from nature. A small cropped out area of this preliminary collage “sketch” is then enlarged to as much as 100 times its original size then printed onto paper, canvas or vinyl type materials, and enhanced with hand applied ink, acrylic paint or varnish. Sometimes mounted or framed using pieces of architectural material such as beams, doors, and molding.
Without pure figuration or sharpness of focus, RKW’s artwork brings once unnoticed details into sharp relief. Organic patterns and textures come together with bold colors in candid and revelatory explorations of small spaces, quiet details, and transitions in space and time.
