Artist of the Month
Darrell Windjack
--with Mariam Qureshi--
Mariam: What is your artistic muse?
Darrell: I would have to say my artistic muse is the creative genius of the human mind, seen in sculpture, architecture, floral design in a public garden, store front window displays or any other form of its manifestation. Rome was not built in a day but this creativity through the ages has built upon itself to arrive at what we see today. I’m constantly in awe and inspired by different imagery I experience daily and often visualize good subject matter for my art. I have a long list of future art pieces I want to get at. Just need more hours in the day!
Mariam: What are your favourite mediums to work with?
Darrell: Wax coloured pencil onto cold pressed paper is my favourite medium. They are simple to use and don’t involve a messy process or clean up. To tell you the truth I’ve never attempted painting but have stuck to perfecting pencil so the works appear paint-like with bold, vibrant colours. I’ve learned how to blend these colours through trial and error using kleenex and paper towel. My only gripe about the medium is that if applied too often there tends to be wax build up and it can be difficult reaching the rich tones I want. I then resort to acrylic touch ups for vibrant yellows or whiter highlights from the light source. This makes the art pop more as does black ink in shadow areas to create a more 3 dimensional look.
Mariam: What style of art do you do?
Darrell: My style of art would be considered illusionistic realism blending observation and imagination. I’m drawn towards urban landscapes, sculpture, still life....things with angles and structure. Recently I’ve ventured more towards the natural world with floral and scenic landscape pieces. Most of my work has a fairly high degree of detail, part of my inclination towards realism, but getting the details right can sometimes drive you crazy!