Erasing is also a form of creating, strange as that may sound. But last week, British artist Charlotte Mann demonstrated this notion at a boutique in Brooklyn with her site-specific work, Erasing Is Leaving a Mark. Her canvas, a wall treated with Wolf-Gordon’s Wink dry-erase coating, enabled Mann to not only add, but also remove marks in the densely detailed, large-scale drawing.
Artist Charlotte Mann at work in Brooklyn’s Gowanus Souvenir Shop; photography by James Shanks
“Erasing is definitely just as important as making a mark, it is leaving a mark,” Mann explained. “That act of removal is utterly active. It is not a backwards step, but rather a change. To distinguish between creating and erasing in a hierarchical way curtails the possibilities for invention and discovery.”
© James Shanks
Photo by James Shanks
For average users, writable surfaces are ideal for brainstorming, conceptualizing, planning or doodling sessions in the workplace, school and home. Fortunately, they’re no longer limited to smaller scale boards that blemish an overall space’s aesthetic. Today’s writable-surface products can be seamlessly incorporated into just about any setting, as with the Wink-coated wall for Charlotte Mann’s installation. Here’s a rundown of some of the best products in this market segment right now.
Photography by James Shanks
Bendheim: Magnetic Glass Marker Boards
The architectural and decorative glass manufacturer also produces magnetic glass marker boards in sizes of up to 60 by 96 inches. The high-polish, safety laminated boards are double-sided with each face available in white or black. The material is usable with standard dry-erase markers and erasers and rare-earth magnets.
Bendheim
Benjamin Moore: Chalkboard Paint
Turning any surface (even furniture) into a chalkboard, this paint isn’t limited to black or green. In fact, the product comes in any Benjamin Moore color to match the rest of the project. The formula is 100-percent acrylic latex for interior use, VOC-free and finished with an eggshell sheen.
Benjamin Moore
GlasPro: Magnetic Glass
GlasPro can fabricate magnetic, dry-erase surface glass in sizes of up to 96 by 180 inches. The sheets are available standard in Pure White or a choice of 285 hues from the Color ToolBox and one- or two-sided. Specifiable in 5/16-, 7/16- or 9/16-inch thicknesses, Magnetic Glass can be mounted via standoff hardware, J channel or Z bar.
GlasPro
IdeaPaint: Pull and Create
The company behind Create Clear and Create White dry-erase paint finishes also offers Pull magnetic wall coverings. By combining Pull and Create, designers provide a truly multipurpose wall on which clients can write, erase and pin up supporting materials. Interior Architects’ (IA) Boston office, for instance, utilizes Create and Pull in the conference rooms to collaborate and develop design concepts on the fly, sometimes during client meetings.
© DAVID CULTON
© DAVID CULTON
IdeaPaint at the Boston office of IA
Ornamenta: Paper
Paper takes the familiar motif of graph paper and applies it to through-body porcelain tile that’s chalk-writable. The 23.6-inch-square tiles come in white, gray or black and are suitable for wall, floor and furniture applications.
Ornamenta
Pulp Studio: Pintura MagBoard
Pintura color sheet glass comes in a markerboard and magnetic surface version that can be applied directly to walls or as back-to-back laminated glass partitioning. Available in standard and custom colors, Pintura MagBoard works with water-based ink markers.
Pulp Studio
Solyx Films: SX Dry Erase Marker Board Film
Turn existing interior glass walls into premium dry-erase surfaces with this four-millimeter-thick film. The SX series is available in a range of opacity/transparency levels: Mist, Haze, Fog, White, Etch or Clear. In addition to the glass films, Solyx makes a white dry-erase film for application onto other wall types as well as white with grid and black chalkboard film.
Solyx Films
Wolf-Gordon: Wink
Used for the Charlotte Mann installation, this clear-finish coating product can transform any paintable surface into a writable one, even a smooth-surface wall covering, metal such as stainless steel and aluminum and Wolf-Gordon’s own wood veneer wall covering. It boasts a low-VOC, water-based formula and is sold in three different kit sizes for added convenience: 50, 100 and 200 square feet.