Daniel Eatock
Pens Paper

Look into the mesmerising kaleidoscopes of colour that emerged from one simple idea. 

British artist and designer Daniel Eatock creates concept-driven pieces that explore the recording of actions. Over the past two decades, he has repurposed the conventional tools of graphic design – coloured felt-tip pens and white paper – to produce his most distinctive work.

Working compulsively in series, Eatock either rests inverted pens on stacks of paper or places paper on the nibs of upright pens, leaving time and chance to make their marks. Surprisingly, these straightforward, mechanical steps produce abstract, organic sequences that range from bright dots to bleeding pools of intense colour.

In a sense, this experimental work is self-producing. By devising set-ups that systematically make art, Eatock retains control over the execution, but relinquishes control of the outcome – faithfully observing his manifesto’s directives to “embrace chance” and “trust the process”. This action-based approach is also evident in his instruction of the participants who collaborated to create his circle drawings.

Including an insightful essay by Cranbrook Art Museum director Andrew Blauvelt, this book is the first dedicated survey of Eatock’s felt-tip prints, works that put pen to paper in a newly absorbing way.

Hardcover, Swiss bound with exposed stitching
304 Pages
150 × 215 mm
Editor: Mark Gowing
Design: Mark Gowing
Essay: Andrew Blauvelt
ISBN: 978-0-9875268-0-9
2016 FE008