Childhood Boredom and Wonder Abound in Aron Wiesenfeld’s Inky Post-It Drawings

an ink drawing of a girl under a bright pendant light with insects flying around her

“Post-It Note Drawing #89.” All images © Aron Wiesenfeld, shared with permission

When a friend asked for a small drawing on a Post-It note to add to his growing collection of artworks on the iconic yellow square, Aron Wiesenfeld obliged. The North Carolina-based artist rendered one of his introspective scenes and enjoyed the process enough to create an entire series on the 3 x 3-inch canvas.

Wiesenfeld has since created dozens of drawings in black ink, translating the mystery and ennui of his paintings onto the scaled-down surface. In one work, an open dresser drawer reveals a toddler tucked inside, while another piece depicts a child listlessly watching a record turn. The artist rarely plans a drawing before putting ink to paper and challenges himself to capture the same depth, moods, and stories of his larger works with much more minimal tools. He shares:

It forces you to be very economical since you only have 10 to 20 lines to make a cloud or a field of grass. I have so much respect for cartoonists who do that well, like R. Crumb or Edward Gorey…Because the drawings are so small, every movement of the hand is magnified when seen on a screen, and the lines seem more fluid or spontaneous than a larger drawing might be.

In October, Wiesenfeld will show some of his larger oil paintings at James Freeman Gallery in London. He periodically adds his Post-It drawings to his shop and plans to publish a book of the works later this year. Follow news about those releases on his Instagram.

an ink drawing of a child laying in a dresser drawer that's open. a lamp and open book are on the top of the dresser

“Post-It Note Drawing #86”

an ink drawing of a child holding a doll with a pointy hat

“Post-It Note Drawing #53”

an ink drawing of a child resting on a couch and watching a record turn

“Post-It Note Drawing #87”

clockwise from top left: an ink drawing of a girl on her knees with in a field looking up at the clouds, an ink drawing of a girl peeking out through the middle of floral curtains, an ink drawing of a child in shorts and a tank top resting on a balcony holding a stuffed animal, an ink drawing of a girl stopped on a bike holding a bird

Top left: “Post-It Note Drawing #26.” Top right: “Post-It Note Drawing #52.” Bottom left: “Post-It Note Drawing #41.” Bottom right: “Post-It Note Drawing #77”

an ink drawing of a child in a striped shirt looking at a record player

“Post-It Note Drawing #88”

an ink drawing of a girl with large headphones on shopping for records

“Post-It Note Drawing #79”

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