HER INSPIRATION Of course living so close to a body of water the turquoise and deep blues, greens and neutrals in the sand, beach and trails are part of the inspiration for the artist’s paintings. Darlene’s paintings are also pulled from her gardens and love of soft pinks in Peonies and the boldness of Clematis. Autumn crinkled leaf hues noticed on her walks are also part of a painting at some point. She gathers all of these ideas shapes of stones, ripples of the lake, cloud hues with violets and purples and of course the sunsets in her area. The golds and oranges from sunsets and the deep forest leaf greens, and crimson are all part of her repertoire. Colours, shapes and lines are often gathered from fashion to integrate later. HER TECHNIQUE There can be many layers of acrylics with ink, pen, pencil, charcoal and tea or coffee-stained print added to a mixed media creation of the artist. The majority of her paintings are acrylic with layers of swirls or brush strokes with various brush sizes and sometimes the artist’s hands or palms. Each of these movements adds to the growing depth of the work and the hidden illegible script or notes that sometimes are in the graffiti style that she often uses. With each of her paintings, the titles and the layers, you are welcomed into her world as she tells her story. Many of her originals are large-scale and vibrant. Bold thick acrylic in some areas with layers of complimentary hues or hues that surprise you when they are side by side. You find yourself drawn into the art and its story and smile at the boldness of some of the colours she uses.