How often do you sit around doodling while in class or at work? Artist Shane McAdams takes his doodling to the next level in his Ballpoint Pen Paintings series. The Brooklyn-based artist dismembers pens to get to the liquid nectar within – the ink. The abstract patterns that the multihued inks create are the root of the artist's work. There is, however, more that goes into his creations than merely smearing a vat of ink.
After hours of experimenting with cheap ballpoint pens, McAdams developed a technique to present the range of pigments in an aesthetically pleasing way, while retaining the radiance of the colors. His method involves blowing the ink out of its containing tube onto a square panel, covering it in UV resin, and placing it in a tanning booth. This process heats the thick writing fluid, which causes the material to naturally streak and spread.
Taking this project even further, the artist's Synthetic Landscapes series combines the radiant ink paintings with landscape art. The scenic vignettes give you the feeling that you're looking through a psychedelic tunnel. It's a real a trip to look at! If you're in New York, you can catch some of McAdams' entrancing works of art currently showing at Allegra LaViola Gallery, as part of a two-person exhibition entitled Shane McAdams & Christopher Saunders: The Fair And Open Face Of Heaven, until February 4, 2012.
