OCR Text |
Show The Salt Lake Tribune Sunday February 27, 1983 E3 Artist Sam Wilson admits he draws things to please the ghost of Albrecht Durer, but seed or the fragile wood and canvas that rewarded man's early experiments with heavier than air flight, excites a natural sense of curiosity and wonderment. Particularly interesting to model-builders are the delicate moth-like shapes of the airplanes of World War I vintage, with their creature-like skeletons and filmy, fabric coverings with colorful markings. Handsome Collection JPaul Ellingson was a highly motivated model builder of these fascinating craft at an early age when his father was a flying instructor for the United States Navy, during World War II. His interest coupled with a talent for watercolor painting eventually culminated in a handsome collection of paintings of aircraft flown in the earlier conflict. Eleven of his scale-renderings are presently displayed in the Pioneer Bank, 151 S. Main. Rendered in the sensitivity of transparent color and accurate detail, the paintings become more than accounts of historical development of man's flying experience. They actually suggest delicate renderings of winged-creatures of entomological origin. Perhaps best known to history" buffs is the model of the Curtiss JN 4 (1917), the so-called "Curtiss Jenny" that provided citizens in the small towns of America with the first aerial view of their communities. Barnstorming pilots after World War I landed in wheat fields or pasture lots to ferry eager customers aloft for $5 per passenger. A preliminary show featuring a daring wing-walker could always be depended on as a crowd-rallier. Other examples represented here are familiar to collectors, the British Sopwith Fl Camel (1917); The German Albatross Dill of the same year and the French Nieuport, added to the ground stafers and aerial combat fighters a year later. Studied Architecture As a navy-brat, Paul had dreams of studying aeronautical engineering but he elected to study architecture instead. At the University of Utah he also developed an abiding interest in his favorite painting medium - watercolor. He worked for architectural firms in San Francisco before returning to the U. of U. to get a teaching degree in art. Meanwhile an interest in architectural theory led to development of an idea which he prepared for publication. "Man-made elements in the environment" he contends "are alien to nature. They don't relate because the ideas of space in use, are based on abstract geometry instead of nature. Trees are used in an attempt to birds, ducks and fish are thrown in metaphorically, a homage to Jackson Pollack. get buildings more in harmony with r nature." ..¦¦./¦. Publisher's replies have varied j from mild to positive interest but he j ') hopes for eventual publication. He is »*/j * currently teaching art classes for .;'*, the U. of U. Division of Continuing \ v Education and producing watercol- V/[ or paintings. ; Why watercolor? Spontaneous Medium U * "As a medium it is honest and [ V spontaneous. No cover up is allowed in transparent watercolor painting. Any mistakes are there. Watercolor |j , ' is like jazz music performed for a W ^ live audience. The performer impro- */¦*/ vises with whatever discipline he y'/f can muster. Results are direct, im- mm' ' mediate." Improvisation says more BK ' about the performer than the sub- Br ject, he maintains. \f Although technically exact to the " scale of the flying machines, the Bov> ', paintings emphasize clarity and a ' .- vibrant charm that comes from an BUI, ¦ understanding of the fluid potential y of the medium. ¦£/* ' His landscapes or cityscapes also , , have an abundant charm with considerable leeway for discovery of previously undisclosed qualities. The doorway seems ever open to further possibilities. The artist is presently pursuing ^ another interest - preparing an al- / bum of his jazz piano music for which he will also design a cover. |