donald roller wilsondonald roller wilson
A few of Donald Roller Wilson's photorealistic paintings
were used as cover art for the following Frank Zappa albums:
frank zappa: boulez conducts zappa,
the perfect stranger (39)
(1984, lp, usa,
angel)
frank zappa: them or us (40)
(1984, 2lp, usa,
barking pumpkin)
frank zappa: francesco zappa
(42)
(1984, lp, usa,
barking pumpkin)
The picture on the right was put up for auction at
Julien's Auctions "Icons & Idols: Rock n' Roll 2016
Featuring Property From The Estate of Frank & Gail Zappa", November 4,
2016.
Here is a link to some other artwork by Wilson:
http://www.wrightgallery.com/roller.htm
From: Ben Watson
The Perfect Stranger appeared on EMI's classical subsidiary Angel.
The cover used a painting by Donald Roller Wilson.
It showed Patricia, the dog, in a high chair, alongside beautifully
caught bottles of Heinz tomato ketchup, budweiser beer and baby's milk.
The full title of the painting - written in the style that may have
inspired 'Evelyn, a Modified Dog' - is eighteen lines long.
PATRICIA'S LATE-NIGHT COMPLEMENTARY SNACK AT MONTE'S AND
RICHARD YOAKUM'S
BOULEVARD HOUSTON TOWNHOUSE WHERE (THE NIGHT BEFORE)
DON HAD GONE UP IN SMOKE.
PATRICIA'S THICK GREEN LENSES FILTERED OUT THE SHADES OF
RED
REFLECTED FROM THE HEINZ-SIGHT OF HER BOTTLE-
(THAT BRAND OF KETCHUP WE ALL LOVE SO WELL)
BUT MRS JENKIN'S GLASSES LENSES WERE A ROSY RED
AND WHEN SHE SHOOK THE CONTENTS OF THAT BOTTLE-
(THAT KIND OF KETCHUP WE ALL LOVE SO WELL)
SHE DIDN'T THINK TO SHIELD HER EYES TO NULLIFY THE RED
AND THE HOT BRIGHT LIGHT HAD LEFT HER BLIND;
BUDWEISER
(THAT TYPE OF BEER WE ALL LOVE SO WELL)
SO, WHILE PATRICIA WATCHED THAT NIGHT, HER FRIEND WENT UP
IN SMOKE
LIKE DON HAD DONE, HER FLAMES LEAPED HIGHER AND HIGHER
(PAT FEARED THAT JENKINS SURELY WENT TO HELL)
BUT PATRICIA WAITED YEARS AND YEARS TO SEE IF SHE'D COME
BACK
SHE WAITED BY THE TABLE WITH HER BOTTLE
(ENGAGED AND FAITHFUL IN HER SENTINEL)
(from The Paintings Of Donald Roller Wilson, 1988)
From:
Geir Corneliussen (corneliu@online.no)
Patricia is just like Coltrane,my dog.I am quite sure Patricia,the dog, is a
samoyed-dog,perhaps a cross between a samoyed and another bastard.
The smile is only seen on samoyeds.They weight about 25 kilo, and are always
white,and very furry. My carpet is full of hair.I also think Patricia
would eat the cream on the 'boulez' cover,but not the watermelon, and smoking!?
Anyway..They were used by Roald Amundsen and by Fritjoft Nansen,the famous
polar-travellers,to the northpole,or was it the southpole, or both?..Both,and
also a short trip over Greenland, and back again. There are lots of them here in
norway. Patricia is 2 years old, I think.
From:
VKitzen@aol.com
my gallery address is kitzen fine art 293 miracle mile coral gables, florida
From:
Stan (ivester@utk.edu)
I was fortunate enough to pick up some Wilson posters at a gallery in Santa Fe,
New Mexico, a couple of years ago (including one with the dog seen on the cover
of Them or Us), and even the posters were not cheap. I was told that Wilson's
paintings have gotten to be ultra-trendy among the Hollywood set, with people
like Whoopi Goldberg and Jack Nicholson buying originals and driving the prices
way up.
By the way, a friend of mine actually met Wilson, who lives (or used to anyway)
in Fayetteville, Arkansas. His father knows a woman who served as the model for
the reclining black nun in the Wilson painting used (without permission) on one
of the big multi-LP Zappa bootleg boxes. I believe she works at the University
of Arkansas, also located in Fayetteville.
I really like Wilson's stuff, and I think it does make for a visual equivalent
of at least some aspects of Frank's music: the obsessive details, odd recurring
themes, strange juxtapositions, etc. The only better visual equivalents are Cal's
stuff (of course) and the late great Neon Park --at least that Weasels cover!
From:
Adrian Clark (email@the.bottom)
While unpacking all the books from moving house a couple of weeks ago, I came
across my book of Donald Roller Wilson paintings, which I hadn't looked at for
years. And I smiled. Lots.
(In case anyone wants to try and buy a copy, it's called "Roller" and
it's published by Chronicle Books of San Francisco... ISBN 0-87701-562-7
I'm looking at it now. "The Man Has Left the Moon Tonight..." is one
of my favourites - the detail is amazing.)
From:
Patrick Neve (splat@darkwing.uoregon.edu)
"Roller: The Paintings of Donald Roller Wilson" is outta print. Also
try to find:
The Art of Donald Roller Wilson 2000 Calendar
Cal 97 Donald Roller Wilson (by
Unk)
The Dreams of Donald Roller Wilson (by DRW)
A Strong Night Wind
(by DRW)
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