Where Monochrome Becomes Mastery
Andrey Poletaev is an internationally published fine artist and one of the founding figures of ballpoint pen art as a modern fine art direction. Working exclusively by hand in ballpoint pen, graphite pencil, and mixed media, he creates large-format monochrome works of extraordinary technical complexity — with individual pieces incorporating up to twenty layers of ink and requiring hundreds of hours to complete. His originals have been exhibited at the Ukrainian National Museum in Chicago, published by Gingko Press, and acquired by private collectors across the United States, Europe, and Asia.
Audrey Hepburn — Holly Golightly Ballpoint pen and mixed techniques on Whatman paper | 2017 | Available An intimate close-up study of Hollywood's most beloved icon. Every eyelash, every expression line rendered in extraordinary detail.
Dance in Red II — Ballpoint pen on Whatman paper | 2017 | Available Selected for the cover of Above Art Magazine. Exhibited at the Ukrainian National Museum of Chicago. Pure ballpoint pen at its most expressive.
Moment in Prague — Tram 22 Ballpoint pen on Whatman paper | Available Blue monochrome. Exhibited at the Ukrainian National Museum of Chicago. One of the finest European cityscapes in ballpoint pen.
Flight of Whimsy — Mixed media on Whatman paper | 2018 | Available A work of pure imaginative freedom rendered with the obsessive precision that defines every piece in the Art Mechanica series.