RED AND BLACK: medium drawings

For this series of work, I am inspired by the red and black that are common in so many aspects of Chinese culture, art and daily life. Red symbolizes good fortune, joy, fire and royalty. It permeates everything from holiday decorations to the chops that sign business documents and art pieces alike and black is known as the king of all colors.

Like my paintings, my Red and Black drawings are inspired by the vibrant and dynamic chaos of the city. A multitude of graphite, free flowing gestural lines, each crossing the picture plane, form the foundation of an organic algorithm that these pieces are built on.

Then, switching between red and black ink, I find new paths following the already created intersecting lines, building routes to further define the space of the chaotic grid. The cumulative activities weave themselves into a dense form where paths intersect and diverge. The finished drawings challenge the viewer to follow the lines or to see the fragements of space defined within each small area of the drawings.

Red and Black 30,
an abstract linear pen and ink drawing by artist Nicholas Brown.

Red and Black 30
graphite & ink on paper
30" x 22" (76cm x 56cm)
©2017 All rights reserved.

Red and Black 29,
an abstract linear pen and ink drawing by artist Nicholas Brown.

Red and Black 29
graphite & ink on paper
30" x 22" (76cm x 56cm)
©2017 All rights reserved.

Red and Black 28,
an abstract linear pen and ink drawing by artist Nicholas Brown.

Red and Black 28
graphite & ink on paper
30" x 22" (76cm x 56cm)
©2017 All rights reserved.

Red and Black 27,
an abstract linear pen and ink drawing by artist Nicholas Brown.

Red and Black 27
graphite & ink on paper
30" x 22" (76cm x 56cm)
©2016 All rights reserved.

Red and Black 26,
an abstract linear pen and ink drawing by artist Nicholas Brown.

Red and Black 26
graphite & ink on paper
30" x 22" (76cm x 56cm)
©2016 All rights reserved.

Red and Black 25,
an abstract linear pen and ink drawing by artist Nicholas Brown.

Red and Black 25
graphite & ink on paper
30" x 22" (76cm x 56cm)
©2016 All rights reserved.

Red and Black 23,
an abstract linear pen and ink drawing by artist Nicholas Brown.

Red and Black 22,
an abstract linear pen and ink drawing by artist Nicholas Brown.

Red and Black 21,
an abstract linear pen and ink drawing by artist Nicholas Brown.

Red and Black 20,
an abstract linear pen and ink drawing by artist Nicholas Brown.