Art Deco Screen (installed)

Art Deco screen; R Williamson; MDF, acrylic paint, white gold leaf; 8’ tall x 15.5 ‘; 2/22

I’ve posted several times about this project. First about the sample process last spring; then recently showing a couple of the completed panels in my studio. Finally I can show what the final effect is as all eight panels were hung last week in the location that they were designed for.

This is the entry to a contemporary home in Seattle, overlooking Lake Union. The intent was to create a large wall piece of interest with a sufficient scale to both cover a large portion of the existing sycamore wall panels, and complement other Art Deco pieces on display. The end results reads as an abstract wall mural with radiant lines that change in color and intensity according to the weather, time of day, and position of the viewer.

The inspiration from the beginning was defined by designer Andy Beers of Ore Studio as being a specific historical folding screen from the Parisian atelier of Eileen Gray (shown below). While that original was done in lacquerware technique with various material inlays to define the design, the piece I did has a solid dark color (paint) field with routed channels whose bottoms I gilded to define the line shapes.

Thanks to Dovetail for the wood fabrication and invaluable help on this project.