ANNIE DARLING

BIOGRAPHY

Annie Darling was born in Chicago, Illinois, and followed the familial path of creative and technical studies—successfully orienteering her way through a range of programs including fine art, graphic design, industrial technology, and communications at the University of Oregon, and the University of Southern Maine where she graduated with a B.A. in Communication Arts.

After graduation, Annie embarked on an artistic journey which took her from owning an award-winning design firm, to partnering in a successful art-based stationery company, to creating and developing her expanding body of mixed media art work. Throughout Annie’s career she has received numerous awards for her outstanding visual design work. Her encaustic and oil artwork can be found in private homes and corporate settings worldwide.

THE ENCAUSTIC MEDIUM

Encaustic painting is an intensely physical, intellectual and spiritual pursuit. I began working in the medium during a particularly difficult time in my life and the tactile nature of the process surprised me with an opportunity to work through my loss in a profound, yet productive way. The breadth of the encaustic medium fascinates me. Many artists use the medium in the traditional manner; heating, melting and painting on the wax, however, I am more curious about what else the medium can do. I spend much of my time exploring unconventional methods and materials that expand on the typical encaustic techniques.

THE ENCAUSTIC PROCESS

The encaustic medium fascinates me. While many artists choose traditional methods of painting with the wax, I am curious about what else the medium can do and I spend much of my time exploring unconventional methodologies beyond the scope of typical creative techniques. My creative process involves painting on large wood panels that require me to continually move around them. As my body travels around the painting—dripping, ironing, and fusing the pigmented wax into place—I am constantly assessing the state of the composition: the relationship of each element to one another, color, hue and saturation, detail in the mark-making and properties of each layer; adjusting as necessary. It is an intimate conversation between me and the work, where each layer—every element—informs the next. The result is a work of art so unique and  intricate it can never be recreated. 

As a child I was immersed in the visual arts: my father was a commercial photographer, my mother an interior designer, my uncle a sculptor, and my cousins: print makers, writers, musicians. My interest in art was fueled by their work, as well as frequent visits to the museums and galleries of Chicago where I was drawn to contemporary art. 

Each time I returned home from a museum outing—filled with passion—I would paint or draw my own interpretation of the images that inspired me. Even the tactile experience of the mediums excited me. When I started drawing in colored pencil, I loved the feeling of the pencil etching its way down the paper. When I began painting, I felt a similar energy as the brush stroked the canvas. In my encaustic work, I find pleasure in the feel of the iron as it glides over the hot wax; and I appreciate the second tactile experience of the finished product.