Kerry’s Beginnings
Kerry Darlington is a Welsh artist, born 1974 in Rhyl, North Wales. She was heavily inspired by magical fairy tale picture books and stories during her childhood, and had a particular love for Arthur Rackham’s intricate pen and ink work. This influenced her to take a degree in Illustration, with intentions of becoming a children’s book Illustrator. Following this she discovered ‘Art Nouveau’ and the Pre-Raphaelite artists. She found this work so hauntingly beautiful that it absorbed her and it still has a profound effect on her own art.
Growth and Recognition
For the last seven years Kerry has built a reputation for her original, decorative designs which became hugely popular, focusing primarily on trees and nature. She recently took the decision to release her book Illustrations as Unique Edition prints – the ‘Midnight Garden’ sold out within a month and her ‘Mad Hatters Tea Party’ was so popular that it sold-out rapidly before obtaining high values on the secondary market. Her book illustration work is next to include ‘Peter Pan’ by J.M. Barrie and ‘The Magic Faraway Tree’ by Enid Blyton.
In May 2012 she was awarded ‘Best-Selling Published Artist’ at a ceremony by the Fine Art Trade Guild.
Technique and Style
On her original pieces, Kerry works with texture, acrylics and resin. She works in layers to build up depth and create more light.
She uses resin as a medium rather than a varnish on the original paintings.
With her ‘Unique Editions’, whilst in essence they are prints, each one is some way unique. She creates small 3D additions which are hand-worked individually and adhered to the print.
The background is also hand embellished, and all the work has resin hand-applied, making each print look like an original painting.
“My figurative painting is a combination of pattern, nature, the colour of energy and an ephemeral, nostalgic subject matter.
I cannot offer a more detailed explanation for these paintings, they have a title and they have a ‘feeling’.
The feeling I give to the painting and that which the painting gives back to me as I paint it, can be its only explanation.”