Darling grew up in the suburbs of Dallas and received his BFA in graphic design from an art school in Denver. Day to day Jim works as a creative director / designer and is a husband and father of two.
Darling’s gallery work ranges from intricate ink drawings, layered woodwork with illustrative painted skins, to freestanding sculpture. Outside, Jim expands his tool set by including found objects and materials. His subject matter lives between play and real
1x: Tell us a little about this piece and how the idea and execution came about.
Jim Darling: Los Angeles is a continuation of the Window series. I thought it was time to create one for the city I live in. The process was as slow as our traffic and I was consistently loosing my place.
1x: Tell us a little bit about this image itself, is there a story behind it?
Jim Darling: It is the city I live in and love.
1x: When was this piece created and how long did they take from start to finish?
Jim Darling: This one took way too long. I worked on an off on it for months. Life has been really busy, but good.
Blue by Jim Darling – Click To Purchase
1x: What do you feel is unique about this piece compared with some of your other work?
Jim Darling: I am always focusing on the little details within a composition, but composition usually drives the piece. With this piece it was less about the composition and more about the vast amount of detail. To make it feel like Los Angeles it needed to feel overwhelming. Finding a way to break things up with shape came secondary.
Storm Below by Jim Darling – Click To Purchase
1x: Describe this piece in one gut reaction word.
Jim Darling: Overwhelming yet mellow.
Los Angeles by Jim Darling – Click To Purchase
1x: How does the rest of your year look, any shows coming up that you’d like to highlight?
Jim Darling: I am wrapping up the “Chicago” window. Mostly I have been working on abstracts, which I will be showing at my next show in June at CAVE Gallery here in Venice.
1x: Where else can people find you?
Jim Darling: Website – Instagram @jimdarling
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