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Drew Beattie — Mail Art No. 315
Drew Beattie

Mail Art No. 315

1992

Drew Beattie's *Mail Art No. 315* from 1992 presents a vibrant and enigmatic composition, characteristic of the artist's playful yet profound mixed media approach. The small scale piece immediately draws the viewer into a dynamic field of emerald green, punctuated by raw, off-white segments and energetic blue scribbles. Seven distinct red footballs, each rendered with crisp white laces, float across the upper half of the composition, arranged in a somewhat staggered formation. Beneath these iconic symbols of American sport, shadowy, elongated forms emerge from a darker, almost liquid black, suggesting figures or perhaps their exaggerated shadows. These figures, loosely defined by delicate blue lines and textured paper collage, seem to carry or embody the floating footballs, creating a surreal narrative that blurs the line between abstraction and figuration. The work's title, *Mail Art No. 315*, hints at its origin within a broader series, underscoring Beattie's engagement with alternative art distribution and the intimate, often ephemeral nature of mailed artworks. This particular piece exemplifies the artist's inventive use of collage, drawing, and painting, layering disparate elements to forge a cohesive yet complex visual language. The interplay of bold, graphic shapes like the footballs with the spontaneous, gestural marks of the blue scribbles and the painterly black forms creates a tension between precision and improvisation. Beattie masterfully employs a limited palette, allowing the strong contrasts of red, green, black, and white to carry significant visual weight, while the subtle textures of the paper and underlying marks invite closer inspection. The artwork, while seemingly lighthearted, subtly explores themes of collective identity, the iconography of popular culture, and the expressive potential of everyday materials.

Medium
Mixed media on paper
Location
Wright, Chicago, United States

🔨 Auction Lot

Wright: 20|21 Art: The Chicago Edition (July 2022)

July 14, 2022

Estimate: $300 to $500

Lot 150

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About this work

Drew Beattie, Mail Art No. 315, 1992

Drew Beattie's *Mail Art No. 315* from 1992 presents a vibrant and enigmatic composition, characteristic of the artist's playful yet profound mixed media approach. The small scale piece immediately draws the viewer into a dynamic field of emerald green, punctuated by raw, off-white segments and energetic blue scribbles. Seven distinct red footballs, each rendered with crisp white laces, float across the upper half of the composition, arranged in a somewhat staggered formation. Beneath these iconic symbols of American sport, shadowy, elongated forms emerge from a darker, almost liquid black, suggesting figures or perhaps their exaggerated shadows. These figures, loosely defined by delicate blue lines and textured paper collage, seem to carry or embody the floating footballs, creating a surreal narrative that blurs the line between abstraction and figuration. The work's title, *Mail Art No. 315*, hints at its origin within a broader series, underscoring Beattie's engagement with alternative art distribution and the intimate, often ephemeral nature of mailed artworks. This particular piece exemplifies the artist's inventive use of collage, drawing, and painting, layering disparate elements to forge a cohesive yet complex visual language. The interplay of bold, graphic shapes like the footballs with the spontaneous, gestural marks of the blue scribbles and the painterly black forms creates a tension between precision and improvisation. Beattie masterfully employs a limited palette, allowing the strong contrasts of red, green, black, and white to carry significant visual weight, while the subtle textures of the paper and underlying marks invite closer inspection. The artwork, while seemingly lighthearted, subtly explores themes of collective identity, the iconography of popular culture, and the expressive potential of everyday materials.

Medium
Mixed media on paper
Year
1992
Seen at
Wright, Chicago, United States

Related themes

Red And Green, Figurative Abstraction, Male Artist, Green Dominant, Narrative Art, Mixed Media, Postmodern, Collage, Outsider Art, Mail Art, American Artist, Small Format, Pop Imagery, Contemporary Art, Abstract Figurative, Sports Imagery, Surrealist, Works On Paper, Drawing, Gestural Drawing, Found Materials, Underground Art