Darlene Oliva McElroy

Artist Statement

​The richly textured mixed media paintings of Darlene Olivia McElroy reflect the vision of an artist whose involvement with man’s primal origins, sins, and religious conflicts has developed an imagery at once sensuously primitive and startlingly sophisticated.
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Weaving through textural surfaces, found objects, and rich symbolism, the viewer is drawn into a visual world where color plays the role of an atmospheric veil encompassing the personal myths of the artist.

​McElroy, born and raised in Southern California, is descended from an old New Mexico family of artists and storytellers. She has been deeply influenced by the summers she spent growing up on her family’s ranch in Santa Fe where the rich tapestry of Hispanic life filled the nights and brightly colored the days.

​Her paternal grandfather was an artist on Catalina Island who exposed her to art as a life style, introduced her to color and the narrative in art. She currently lives in Santa Fe where she enjoys the skies, the color and the art.

Biography
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Throughout her career Darlene Olivia McElroy has combined head and heart in her journey of creating evocative mixed-media paintings. Trained as a painter and illustrator, she has an obsession for materials, passion for dreamlike imagery, and love of new technologies, which she uses to immerse herself in richly textured surfaces, mixtures of old and new, and brilliant and subdued tones. And always, there is a face or symbol of humanity that serves as a guide into mysterious layers which challenge reason and draw upon emotions.
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Trained in the fine arts at Cal State University Fullerton, McElroy added illustration, graphics and design skills at Art Center College of Design, Pasadena, CA. Throughout her career she has made art for herself, while creating award-winning illustrations, packaging, and collateral for small companies to large corporations. Never content in withholding her knowledge, she continues to teach art, design, and computer graphics across the country.
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Her books, which were published by F&W Publications, are testaments to her inherent need to experiment. In Image Transfer Workshop, McElroy explains the image transfer process and offers tips for fixing mishaps. Her second book, Surface Treatment Workshop, outlines the mixed-media techniques that add depth and texture to her own artwork. Mixed Media Revolution examines ways to evaluate and reconfigure a work of art, taking it to the next level while Alternative Art Surfaces deals with work on alternative substrates. Her last book, Mixed Media in Clay, is about working with alternatives to kiln fire clays and how to cast molds.

www.darleneoliviamcelroy.com
Instagram: @darlene_olivia_mcelroy
Facebook: facebook.com/darleneoliviamcelroy