Sky-High Acrylic Paintings to Spark Your Wanderlust
02/13/2016
Curators’ Corner
Ever yearn to escape the humdrum of everyday life and jet off to another city? Artist Jim Darling understands.
Darling is the man behind a series of dreamy paintings that take viewers on a journey from the perspective of an airline passenger saddled with the window seat. Who would ever want to lower the shade when we can glimpse vignettes of lush countrysides and twinkling cityskylines below?
Originally conceived while “painting characters sitting together in flight” for another art show, Darling’s concept was born when he rediscovered the excitement of the window seat and the advantages it offered while he worked.
“It leaves you with a concentrated view and your thoughts,” he told The Huffington Post. “The views can be choppy yet intertwined, expansive yet detailed. The ground view shrinks things and as a result, you feel small and that can be humbling.”
Using bold swaths of vibrant hues speckled with aerosol, Darling recreates the exhilaration of flying by blurring photos snapped during flight and framing each quixotic landscape behind the silhouette of an airplane window. Coupled with a touch of imagination, his romantic landscapes truly come to life.
“The reference images are a loose base for me,” he said, noting that he draws on his Instagram feed for inspiration. “I want to depict the city, but abstract it with my painting style.”
The paintings haven’t just inspired wanderlust among his fans; the experience has also recharged Darling’s own desire to explore.
“It makes me want to travel more," he said. "I believe it has made me more determined to get the window seat.”
Check out a few of Darling's impressionistic images below, and click here to follow him on Instagram.
