AERIAL ABSTRACTIONS
This illustrated design series was a self-initiated project completed during my time as the Graphic Design Fellow at the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation. Each of Wright’s buildings are unique to their time and place, but still remain distinctly Wright. I wanted to explore these spaces from a new perspective and find the commonalities and the differences.
Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation-Summer 2019
Designer and Illustrator: Meagan Vanderhill
TALIESIN WEST
Taliesin West is Wright’s winter home and laboratory in Scottsdale, AZ. I was inspired to begin this series with Taliesin West because I was curious to understand it from a new perspective. While living at Taliesin West, I only ever experienced it on the human scale, but Wright, as the architect, would have known what the space looked like from every angle and I wanted to experience that perspective for myself.
Taliesin
I continued my series with Taliesin, Wright’s home built on family land in Spring Green, Wisconsin. Wright traveled between the two Taliesins for many years and was inspired by each of his homes in different ways. I wanted to highlight these differences because while Taliesin is lush, welcoming, and green, Taliesin West is mesmerizing, harsh, and warm.
david and Gladys wright house
One of three spiral buildings designed by Wright, this house is especially striking from above. I was inspired by this house because it is a different yet familiar take on Wright’s geometric designs. While Taliesin and Taliesin West are very angular with many parallel lines, the David and Glayds Wright house is softer, with circular forms dominating. From the ground the house is a multi-level spiral, but from above it makes a perfect circle.
Solomon R. Guggenheim museum
The Guggenheim Museum in New York City is one of Wright’s most recognizable and acclaimed buildings. Designed near the end of his life, Wright never saw the project completed. My fascination with the Guggenheim is that it houses art, while also being a work of art itself. Its organic structure and bright white color are a stark contrast to New York City’s more angular skyline, drawing in the eye and giving it a beautiful place to rest. An early rendering of the museum inspired the light pink color in my abstraction.
Herbert F. Johnson House
The Herbert F. Johnson House, also referred to as Wingspread, was the last of Wright’s Prairie-style houses. I was inspired to do this house because it showcases Wright’s geometry without taking away from the land. The house is a beautiful pinwheel that spreads across the land and fits in perfectly with the Midwest landscape.
HollyHock house
Hollyhock House was the first of the textile block houses Wright designed for California during his Mayan revival period. I was drawn to this building because of the way it sits in the Hollywood Hills with open terraces creating beautiful lines. I love the mixture of hard angles and circular spaces.