FEBRUARY 2015 Shirish Deshpande Belgaum, India
In a land of over a billion people rich with artisans and craftspeople, it should come as no surprise that ballpoint pen artwork can be found in India, and, in the atmospheric landscapes, decorative still lives and other stylish compositions of Shirish Deshpande, ballpoint art is also well-represented... Read the full archived feature.
First Ferry 2014, ballpoint pen on handmade paper, 10 x 14'' (shown cropped). Artwork © Shirish Deshpande
Dave Warshaw San Diego, California
René Moncada Brooklyn, New York
Alexander Perandin Moreira Brazil
DECEMBER 2014 Shane McAdams Brooklyn, New York
Ballpoint pen art without the ballpoint pen? That and more from Shane McAdams, artist and closet alchemist, who literally removes the ball point from the equation by "blowing", milking or otherwise extracting ink from ballpoints and magic markers toward artistic ends...
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Cloudslinger 2014, ballpoint pen, oil & resin on panel, 48 x 48'' (shown cropped).
Artwork © Shane McAdams
OCTOBER 2015 Satrio Arimbat Ardho Java, Indonesia
It is not uncommon to hear of ballpoint pen artists spending hundreds of hours drawing any particular piece. Mr. Satrio Arimbat Ardho in the same amount of time may have produced four or five pieces of equal or superior quality. Making them is what makes Ardho happiest...
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Aug 22-25, 2015 (work-in-progress facebook post), ballpoint pen on paper, shown cropped. Artwork © Satrio Arimbat Ardho
Qualeasha Wood Long Branch, New Jersey
JULY 2015 M.I. Shaikh Mumbai, India
Some say art schools ruin the artist. Whether or not that's true is of no concern to Mr. M.I. Shaikh. ''Undoubtedly self-taught. No lessons, no mentor, no special training or formal classes,'' proclaims Shaikh. Such is the measure of talent outside of art school meccas like New York or London... Read the full archived feature
Untitled 14 Nov 2013, ballpoint pen on paper, 31 x 46cm (12 x 18''), shown cropped.
Artwork © M.I. Shaikh
Alberto Repetti Genova, Italy
PICKS PAGE ARCHIVELINKS Feb~Nov2015 Read about these artworks in the artists' own words in The Ballpointer PICKPIECE archives. Click on the artwork to see their PICKPIECES.
NOVEMBER 2014 Serhiy Kolyada Kiev, Ukraine
Conflict and corruption feed commentary; key ingredients for intriguing art. Awareness may be the ultimate goal, but one must first actually care enough to spread the word. Serhiy Kolyada cares. His key ingredient is ink, and his Lifescapes serve up a spicy blend of commentary and criticism peppered with politicians and prostitutes. Brothels and consumer brands form his artistic broth, but Kolyada's compositional stew is his strength... Read the full archived feature.
The Theory for Origins 2012, ballpoint pen on panel, 56 x 41 cm, © Serhiy Kolyada
MARCH 2015 Lennie Mace Tokyo, Japan
This must be the wrong exhibition. Lennie Mace is, after all, known for colorfully detailed, elaborately composed ballpoint artwork, but no such artwork is on display here; only blank sheets of paper, beautifully framed... Read the full archived feature.
Goat Gal (Goat 1 of 4) 2014, ballpoint pen & ''dry'' ballpoint pen on paper, shown cropped. An example of ''colorfully detailed'' Mace,
showing usage of ''dry pen'' patterns. Artwork © Lennie Mace/THE LAB
JUNE 2015 Andrey Poletaev Lugansk, Ukraine
Andrey Poletaev can luckily travel vast distances without ever having to leave his home. Ballpoint pen in hand he can set off in any direction, as he pleases. The ability to use art as an escape to lands known-or-unknown proves how drawing skills and 'vision' are a magic combination... Read the full archived feature
Kiev January 2015, ballpoint pen on paper, 36 x 42cm (14 x 17''), shown cropped. Artwork © Andrey Poletaev
Ross Kinkaid Kent, England
APRIL 2015 James Mylne London, England
Britain's premier ballpointer James Mylne has undergone as conspicuous and ambitious a developmental arc as one artist could experience within such a relatively short span of time. Mylne readily admits the "shift"; conscious steps beyond earlier, straightforward photorealism...
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Natalia 2014, Torn series, ballpoint pen, spray paint, marker, ripped Giclee prints and
Krink on paper, 75 x 93cm (29 x 36''), shown cropped. Artwork © James Mylne
Aries Villaflor Quezon City, Philippines
RECAP originally posted November 2, 2015
A Year in The Pen
The Ballpointer Nov 2014 ~ Nov 2015
Someday, someone else will list the accomplishments of The Ballpointer annually, but, seeing as all involved had doubts as to whether the site would even make it through a year, much less become the crown jewel of our fledgling empire, please bear with us as we bask in our own glory. OK, year-end timeline lists of accomplishments are usually lame. As publishers, we promise to never do this again. That said, allow us to remind you why we're here, lest you forget. A True Story…
October, 2012: An alcohol fueled discussion during an after-party following the opening reception of an exhibition featuring ballpoint pen artwork turns to questions of why, especially by 2012, mass media continue to report about ballpoint pen art as if it was a brand new concept. Part of that discussion went something like this…
Drinker No.1: ''Any source referring to ballpoint pen art as something new only shows how ignorant they are and how little they researched their subject'' ...
Jhon Rich Compra Bohol, Philippines
Susan May Pasadena, California
Scott Mackie Aberdeen, Scotland
Allan Barbeau Dublin, Ireland
AUGUST 2015 Peter Ross Hong Kong
If you're ever walking the streets of Hong Kong and notice a fair-skinned fellow with fiery red hair appreciating the aging architecture more than the average passerby, you've probably found Peter Ross. You wouldn't know it but Ross is in fact a born-and-bred Hong Konger himself, and he knows that aging architecture well... Read the full archived feature
Mongkok 2014, ballpoint pen, gouache & pencil on watercolor paper, 30 x 30cm (12 x 12''), shown cropped. Artwork © Peter Ross
Ralvin Dizon Pampanga, Philippines
Ler Huang Kaohsiung, Taiwan
SEPTEMBER 2015 Lennie Mace PICKS SPECIAL New York City via Tokyo, Japan
A Far East ballpoint pen masterpiece has finally made its way West. When a long-time New York patron offered showroom space, Mace accepted...
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CosPlayStation:2011 2006-2011, ballpoint pen & cut vinyl decals on paper,
146 x 103cm (57.5 x 40.5''), shown cropped. Artwork © Lennie Mace/THE LAB
Peter Ross Hong Kong
MAY 2015 Allan Barbeau Dublin, Ireland
For every artist out on the front lines gunning for art world credibility, there are another hundred going about their business in quiet satisfaction. Those with more modest needs and their own barometer of what constitutes "success" could care less. Among them is Allan Barbeau...
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Bouche Bisous 2011, ballpoint pen on paper, 23 x 21cm (10 x 8''), shown cropped. Artwork © Allan Barbeau
Levey Rañin Carigari, Leyte, Philippines
FEATURE ARTICLE ARCHIVELINKS Nov 2014~Nov2015
Arthur T. Cortez Calamba City, Philippines
A Year in The Pen The Ballpointer Nov 2014 - Nov 2015 PICKS of the Litter 2015
Since 2014
Nathan Lorenzana Guatemala City, Guatemala
Ryusei Ichimaru Tokyo, Japan