I first stumbled across the work of Kerry Darlington when I was searching for a striking print to adorn my home. The technological age has made it almost too easy to peruse an array of work and it is quite possible to get bogged down with the seemingly unlimited choices on offer. I was wading my way through a myriad of landscapes and figurative pieces wondering whether a contemporary picture or a more traditional work would fit the bill when I was stopped in my tracks.
An Outstanding Print
I had found a limited edition Kerry Darlington print entitled Lollipop Galaxy. It was the bold use of colour which initially grabbed my attention but on closer inspection I just loved the extra-terrestrial landscape of rockets and robots that took me back to my youth. As a youngster I had been fascinated by the children’s programme Bleep and Booster and in this painting a similar world came to life before my eyes.
Bleep and Booster
For the uninitiated Bleep and Booster was a cartoon series on the 1960’s and 1970’s which followed the intergalactic travels of an alien and his human companion. For a small child Bleep and Booster conjured up a distant and exotic world in simple but colourful animation and the images have always stayed with me. Now I found myself staring at a similar world painted in a style that somewhat defied categorization. I couldn’t help wondering if the artist had also watched Bleep and Booster.
Childhood Influences
I need to know more! Further research revealed that Kerry Darlington is a welsh artist and a child of the 1970’s who had been inspired by the fairytale picture books of her youth to take a degree in illustration with the intention of becoming a children’s book illustrator. In the event things didn’t quite go according to plan and after graduating Darlington took up an opportunity to work in South America before joining a specialist design company producing bespoke clay murals.
Moving On
Ultimately Darlington took the risk of trying to establish herself as an artist. With the influence of the picture books and a fascination with the Pre-Raphaelite and Art Nouveau styles an interesting and strikingly unique cannon of work began to appear. Early abstracts were based on satellite imagery of the earth and so there is certainly a fascination with the wider universe going on which remained evident in her later landscape and figurative pieces.
Collision of Styles
There is something charming and irresistible about Darlington’s style and choice of subject matter which is naïve in appearance and yet skilfully composed. Colour and texture leap off the canvas and the works are at once reminiscent of Gustav Klimt and late 20th century picture books and animation. These are compositions which offer up a new experience every time you see them and which are packed with quirky details that draw the eye. In Darlington’s work Art Nouveau collides with 1970’s culture to produce stunning imagery with a complexity that keeps you coming back for more but with a charming and naïve quality that takes you back to your childhood.
Kerry Darlington is one of the UK’s most successful contemporary artists and it is not difficult to see why. Her unique style sets her apart and defies categorization and so she is truly in her class of her own.
Sally Stacey is a keen writer and business owner who studied art history in London and remains interested in contemporary art.
