free4all: YOUR FUN WASTED TEENAGE YEARS RENDERED IN AWESOME BALLPOINT PEN DRAWINGS

Monday, 6 July 2015

YOUR FUN WASTED TEENAGE YEARS RENDERED IN AWESOME BALLPOINT PEN DRAWINGS

Not too surprisingly, Paris-based artist Helena Hauss’ choice of Bic pens to be her primary artistic implements does go back to her school days. “I first started drawing abundantly all through high school in my exercice [sic] books rather than writing down what the teacher was saying, and using bic pens was always a good way not to get caught when being watched from afar!”

But Bic pens, ballpoint pens, biros, whatever you want to call them, have another virtue that doesn’t have anything to do with avoiding the scrutiny of teachers: “I have always had a big attraction for the color blue, so much so that all my clothes and accessories were a shade of it, so when I drew I very much liked using blue ink, such as the one found in bic pens.” Hauss’ artworks are large and very detailed and most have to do with the wanton, irresponsible lives of teenagers and young adults—with an emphasis on trashy media, the libido, rock music, drug use, and other good stuff. Her skill with the Bic pen is such that if you didn’t already know what was used, you wouldn’t necessarily guess that it was even possible to make works this visually dazzling with them.