Jon MacNair Presents New Ink Illustrations in “Noctem”

Portland based artist Jon MacNair (covered here) didn't actually enjoy sketching at first, but he kept at it and his daily drawings are what influenced his style today. Working mostly in ink, his monochromatic drawings of demons and other creatures derived from animals are decidedly mystical. Some of the themes running through his art's veins include magic and rituals, man and beast, anxiety, journeys, isolation, night, and communication. Last night at Antler Gallery in Portland, he debuted a new series of drawings and shadowbox pieces, as well as an expansive floor to ceiling mural installation.

Portland based artist Jon MacNair (covered here) didn’t actually enjoy sketching at first, but he kept at it and his daily drawings are what influenced his style today. Working mostly in ink, his monochromatic drawings of demons and other creatures derived from animals are decidedly mystical. Some of the themes running through his art’s veins include magic and rituals, man and beast, anxiety, journeys, isolation, night, and communication. Last night at Antler Gallery in Portland, he debuted a new series of drawings and shadowbox pieces, as well as an expansive floor to ceiling mural installation. Titled “Noctem” (after the Latin phrase “Carpe Noctem” or seize the night) his series takes the viewer into a whimsical and decidedly dark otherworld. The inclusion of shadow boxes particularly adds a dramatic dimension to MacNair’s otherwise flat aesthetic. Many pieces feature a combination of the fantastic with gruesome, as devilish characters perform various rituals like beheadings. Although frightening, they appear unfazed as they go about their absurd ways of daily life.

Jon MacNair’s “Noctem” is now on view at Antler Gallery in Portland, alongside Annie Owens and Craww, through November 23rd.

Topics

Carpe Noctem, Jon MacNair, Pen and Ink

drawing, Japanese art, Pen and Ink, pop art, Yasuto Sasada

January 2, 2015

Japanese artist Yasuto Sasada, just 27 years old, has already made a name for himself in the modern art and fashion world, through his collaborations with Yohji Yamamoto. Sasada has his own visual language that combines cultural traditions with the future. His detailed pen drawings of creatures mix motifs from modern technology and religion. Their black and white tonality, achieved with a thin 0.3mm pen, is harshly contrasted against bright pink, blue, and green backgrounds. He's created a new form of painting that juxtaposes old and contemporary ideas, taking us into an entirely new dimension.

Jon MacNair’s Latest Series of Fantastically Dark Ink Drawings

Ink Drawing, Jon MacNair

May 19, 2016

Those who have seen Jon MacNair's work might be surprised to learn that he is greatly inspired by popular children's literature, fairytales, and Renaissance art. The Portland based artist is well known for his fantastical, quirky ink drawings, often labeled as "dark", and we don't mean his monochromatic palette. "Some of my most distinct memories as a kid were of looking at picture books and being entranced by the images," he says. "Even though most of these books were for kids, there were some pretty dark undertones in the illustrations that stuck with me." These eventually led to his current body of work which turns classically ominous imagery on its head.

The Dual Nature of Lucy Hardie’s Spiritual Drawings

drawing, Lucy Hardie, Pen and Ink, Realism, Vania Zouravliov

July 10, 2014

A Medium is an individual held to be a channel of communication between the earthly world and a world of spirits. In art, medium refers to a mode of artistic expression or communication. For Australian artist Lucy Hardie, whose elaborate drawings explore spirituality and duality of nature, they are one and the same. Hardie is the great granddaughter of a Medium. A story that has been passed down is that her grandmother once walked into a séance and saw a person levitating. Inspired by her own history and personal experience, Hardie then combines symbols of life after death and awakening to capture that which connects us.

The Recent Drawings of Jim Woodring

drawing, Jim Woodring, Pen and Ink

March 14, 2019

Jim Woodring’s recent drawings include the above pen-and-ink scene, a 5-foot-wide and 3-foot-tall work depicting what the artists calls "an open-air emergency room under the full moon." The work took nine months to complete. The revered illustrator was featured way back in Hi-Fructose Vol. 3, a feature that was later part of Hi-Fructose Collected - Volume 1.

Jon MacNair Presents New Ink Illustrations in “Noctem”

Yasuto Sasada’s Drawings of Machine-Inspired Creatures

Jon MacNair’s Latest Series of Fantastically Dark Ink Drawings

The Dual Nature of Lucy Hardie’s Spiritual Drawings

The Recent Drawings of Jim Woodring

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