Eugene Andolsek created thousands of ink drawings over the course of fifty years, rarely sharing them with anyone. In 1950, after he saw an ink work at an art show, Andolsek began a nightly ritual of drawing at his kitchen table using a straightedge and a compass. First he created the black outlines—the “designs,” as he called them—and then filled them in with beautiful colors achieved through his own careful mixing of store-bought inks. The artist described his process as methodical but also noted that the psychedelic whirls and pulsating patterns just “came out” of him, sometimes without his conscious awareness.

Stacy C. Hollander, "Untitled #7B," exhibition label for Jubilation|Rumination: Life, Real and Imagined. Stacy C. Hollander, curator. New York: American Folk Art Museum, 2012.