Photography · Tom Muir Wilson
Roadscape
A series built from the language of the road: crossroads, T-junctions, hazard markers and end-of-road signs, photographed, cropped and printed until a road sign becomes a pattern.
Tom Muir Wilson worked on Roadscape over roughly a decade, from western New York to Brooklyn to England. These are original pieces from his own studio, found in the archive and shown here as they came out of storage.
- Medium
- “Photo-film & paint,” in the artist’s own words; likely photo-stencil screenprints on reflective stock
- Dates
- Earliest grids signed 1971; folio prints dated Winter 1977 to Spring 1979
- Exhibited
- Entered in West ’81: Art and the Law, Minnesota Museum of Art, St. Paul (1981)
- Marked
- Roadscape series label, “Designer · Photographer” label and signature on the reverse
The early pieces
The earliest Roadscape pieces found so far, all in period metal sectional frames. The two grids repeat a single road sign nine times and are signed and dated 1971 on the reverse.
Crossroads
Nine black-and-white crossroads signs in a 3×3 grid. Signed and dated 1971.
T-Intersection
Nine T-intersection signs in a 3×3 grid. Signed and dated 1971.
Hazard Markers
A wide black, silver and yellow piece: two yellow hazard diamonds marking a roadside edge.
Hammer and Sickle
A red hammer and sickle printed over a black-and-silver street scene with a parked car.
The labels
The silver Roadscape label, the artist’s “Designer · Photographer” label, and his signature with the date.
The later prints, 1977–1981
The series grew into single images: a sign or marker set into an ordinary landscape, printed in black, silver and one or two accent colors. Some are tipped into black folios with typed title labels; others are framed. Each one names a real place.
| Title | Place | Date | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| “T” | Bergen, New York | Winter 1977 | Folio |
| “Truck Course” | Lewiston (the label reads “Ontario”) | Spring 1978 | Folio |
| “End” | Brooklyn, New York | Fall 1978 | Folio |
| “Somerset, England” | Somerset, England | Spring 1979 | Folio |
| “Great Minster Street” | Likely Winchester, England | — | Framed |
| “Mike’s Repair Shop” | Not recorded | — | Framed |
| Untitled street scene | Likely England | — | Framed |
| “Roadscape” (crossroads) | Likely western New York | Entered 1981 | Framed; carries its West ’81 entry card |
| Yellow-reflector diptych | Inscribed “Byron, N.Y.” on the reverse | — | Framed |
Interested in a Roadscape piece? Pieces are being cleaned and catalogued now, and some will be offered individually. Tell us which one caught your eye.
Ask about a pieceDo you remember Roadscape? We know one piece was entered in West ’81, but we haven’t yet found where else the series was shown. If you saw it, or know a gallery, school or event that exhibited it, we’d love to hear from you.
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