“The Moon is Down” paintings and drawings by Vanessa Prager at the Jenkins Johnson Gallery in San Francisco

Robe, 2012, pen on paper, 11 x 17 inches

If you ever thought it was impossible to draw expressively using only the common ball point pen, you must see the work of Los Angeles based artist Vanessa Prager now showing at the Jenkins Johnson Gallery in San Francisco, CA. Using only blue and red ballpoint pens, the artist renders powerful narrative scenes onto blank music paper. Prager’s signature approach of leaving broad areas unfinished is extremely effective for letting the viewer’s imagination play a part in her drama.

The “Moon is Down” also includes many paintings on canvas. Like Prager’s drawings, these works place her mid-century figures in a dream-like narrative which tease the viewer’s imagination. “I like the idea of capturing moments set in a sort of past and future, or a timeless time. Scenes where the ending is to be determined, and the deciding factors all hang midair. By focusing on the stillness of these yet unfinished memories, it tends to exaggerate the fact that though we’ve all had times where past blurs into present, clearly the future is not yet written,” says the artist.

Vanessa Prager’s show, the “Moon is Down,” will be at the Jenkins Johnson Gallery in San Francisco, CA, through June 30, 2012.

Triangle, 2012, pen on paper, 12 x 16 inches

Under Control, 2012, pen on paper, 12 x 16 inches

Midnight Blue, 2012, oil on canvas, 16 x 20 inches

Beta Max, 2012, oil on canvas, 28 x 40 inches