All images © Shane Drinkwater, shared with permission
As a child, Australian artist Shane Drinkwater (previously) was fascinated by maps, astronomical charts, and ciphers. “This possibly relates to my dyslexia: images and shapes had a strong attraction whereas words on paper were a difficult subject,” he tells Colossal. “I found maps on paper quite appealing, coloured shapes and unraveling a code to find a path in the real world.”
This cartographic interest permeates the artist’s current body of work, which features dots, stars, dashes, and concentric circles arranged in vast systems and imaginary cosmic charts. Rendered in acrylic on paper or canvas, the hypnotizing works rely mostly on neutral tones similar to that of weathered parchment combined with reds, blues, and yellows. This influence comes from medieval illuminated manuscripts, which used “primary colours for maximum visual impact,” he says.
Drinkwater, who was born in Tasmania and currently lives in Queensland, has pieces available at Cavin-Morris Gallery, Pulp, and Copenhagen Outsider Art Gallery, along with a solo show slated for June at Boom Gallery in Victoria. He recently collaborated with the clothing brand indi + ash to create patterns for some of its garments, which you can see more of on Instagram.
