“There is nothing more intimate than a portrait. I believe that through my paintings I’m able to bring more character than can be captured with the literal nature of photogaphy.”
There's something about a painting that makes the subject more significant and timeless. This is particularly true in an era when smart phones have made everybody a photographer. Everyone may take photographs, but only the skills of an artist can reveal the personality of an individual in a portrait.
Darrell is that artist.
Darrell's creative life has been one of evolution and a constant curiosity to explore. As a young man he worked in the silver mines of his native Idaho to earn money to attend art school. This led to early success with commissions and sold out gallery shows.
Like the best artists, Darrell is unsatisfied creating the same subjects or even using the same medium. Not surprisingly, he found himself drawn to photography. First simply as a way to capture and document his painting, but then leading to explore fine art and commercial photography.
The evolution continues. Over the years, even while deeply involved in his photography career, Darrell continued to express himself through his painting. Part of this was exploring the practice of encaustic. This ancient style of painting utilizes beeswax, damar resin from the sap of Southeast Asian pine trees and oil pigments-all dramatically altered through the application of heat and even fir.