Shantell Martin is a London-born, Brooklyn-based visual artist. This is her apartment in Brooklyn. Yes, she drew all over the walls and ceilings. Lucky she rents this place from her friends who gave her the permission to draw freely.

Ms. Martin is an internationally acclaimed artist whose drawings feature on the walls of many private homes and commercial spaces. She is also known for her live performances where she creates drawings that are digitally projected and set to music and light, anywhere form MoMA to nightclubs in Tokyo. Oh yes indeed, this young lady is one super cool cat.

The origins of her wall drawings go back to a Moleskine notebook she acquired shortly after completing her degree in graphic design at Central Saint Martins, London’s premier art school. The book had fold-out pages that opened up to just over 2 meters in length. She began drawing on one page at a time, before jumping around panels and filling the gaps between each one to create a single image. Her drawings on apartment walls began the same way – initially she only intended to draw on one section which was once a fireplace. However, very soon her drawings got a life of their own, and slowly crept onto adjoining walls and ceilings, eventually occupying most of the apartment.

This story reminds me of the people who decide on getting a tattoo, resulting in a compulsive need to continue embellishing their bodies and filling in empty gaps. Except these wall drawings seem like a less permanent and painful example.

[Images via nytimes.com]

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