An exciting art collection is on display for the remainder of the month of August at the Oak Ridge Public Library, featuring black and white drawings and color paintings by artist Sharon McFadden.

Originally from Middle Tennessee, McFadden has lived in eight different states and over 25 cities, but the Oak Ridge area is now her home.

In 2007, Ms. McFadden began to create drawings using black ink on white paper, which she named ALABIS Art, an acronym for “A Little Abstract Black Ink Silhouettes.” She began pencil sketching for several months and then decided to teach herself to draw black and white silhouettes.

Ms. McFadden explains that she enjoys the challenge of portraying beauty, fragility and strength with the crisp contrast between black and white. Whether observing or envisioning everyday objects as silhouettes or basic black and white renderings, the process has helped her gain a new perspective on life and its pure simplicity.

A few years ago, she decided to experiment with painting color images and now often adds gold, silver or red ink to her drawings.

Ms. McFadden displays and sells her art at local craft festivals and the Oak Ridge Winter Farmer’s Market. Her current adventure is creating black and white note cards.

Everyone is invited to the Oak Ridge Public Library this month to view the wonderful black and white drawings on display.