‘Through my work I strive to invoke reflection on the aesthetics of overindulgence, opulence and decadence in our natural world… even in decaying life and creepy-crawly insects, beauty can be found’ – Patrick Christie
27 bugs – dipping pen and ink – w57 x h77cm – 2012
At the tender age of 10, Patrick Christie dipped a nibbed pen into an inkwell for the very first time. He spent his following three decades refining and perfecting his now instantly recognisable style – keeping the centuries old tradition of ink on paper alive and adding thinly veiled quirks and humour to give his work a contemporary twist.
His dedication to precision and exquisite detail is astonishing. Remarkably all drawn without copying from an arrangement, the artwork flows through the pen onto the paper directly from Christie’s imagination. ‘Once I get into “flow” I loose all sense of time and my surroundings. It’s like an external force has control of my hand’ says Christie.
On closer inspection more details emerge from a piece that takes 200 or more hours to complete. Patrons enjoy searching for Christie’s visual signature touch: at least one insect in all his drawings; often there’s many—laying down a challenge to discover them all.
Australia – dipping pen and ink – w57 x h77cm – 2012
Opulence – dipping pen and ink – w57 x h77cm – 200
