Spotlight on Darelene Garcia; Designer, Visual Artist and Illustrator Extraordinaire
By: Joanne Hobbs
Darlene’s interest in art started when she was a child. Her sister Cindy was also interested in art and they were “worthy adversaries” competing with each other and comparing their drawings insisting that their mother choose the best one.
Darlene also remembers an early interest in abstract imagery and in the dreamworld. Her vivid dreams seemed to connect with her interest in art although this connection was left largely unarticulated until many years later.
“I have plenty of insanely visual dreams that give me artistic inspiration,” she says.
These days Darlene is inspired by many things. Music, colors, and movies inspire and move her. She creates lots of portraits, many of people who she finds fascinating. Fellow Heart of Chaos artists are also a great inspiration to her as she finds it entertaining to see what everyone else is up to. She also likes to surround herself in colors and textures, and she particularly loves patterns from all traditions.
Music is also a big player in her experience, inspiring her as much as visual objects.
“I think music and visual art go with each other. I can put a visual image to every kind of music and I like all kinds. In fact, I like to imagine what animals would fit best playing the musical instruments for a particular song. I have a wild imagination and it really tends to come out in my dreams.”
She attributes attending Brooks College for a graphic design degree as a major player in shaping her artistic skills. She learned to better communicate her emotions and feelings graphically. She particularly likes to experiment with her artwork because she feels that is the only way to grow as an fine artist and digital illustrator.
“The most interesting work happens by accident and I don't get many chances for accidents if I do the same thing over and over again,” she explains.
Some similar subjects appear in her artwork like octopi. Her obsession with these underwater creatures stemmed from seeing a tattoo of an octopus on the arm of a a guitarist in the band Red Hot Chili Peppers. She thought it beautiful and so became curious about octopi.
“I realized that they are quite admirable creatures. They are smart, graceful, curious, and versatile animals. Those are qualities that I would like to have and that I find intriguing. Also, they have eight arms! Can you imagine how cool it would be to have eight arms! They must have insane multitasking abilities!”
Her paintings are personal expressions and she shared that she doesn’t paint or seek approval from anybody else. She simply paints for her own enjoyment.
Since I usually paint objects with the intention of putting the finished piece up in my room, I choose to focus on all the things that I enjoy seeing,” she says.
And because colors and textures captivate her, her paintings and her graphic design portfolio display a unique and rich palette.
“Interestingly, my friends and siblings seem to enjoy my paintings a lot so I am able to give them away as gifts. This frees up my room for more paintings, Darlene explains enthusiastically.
Her studies at Brooks have given her graphic design skills and she is eager to start her career. Her design philosophy revolves around making bold statements and using color and type that engages the viewer. Her designs for the Heart of Chaos exhibits Urban Geography and Re:Use are good examples of her emerging technique and talent. Darlene is an artist on many levels and someone to watch evolve as she becomes more and more seasoned and takes advantage of further opportunities to translate a client’s need into a dynamic visual communication.
Check out her artwork on the Heart of Chaos Virtual Exhibit.
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