About Johnny Darko

Since 2005, British artist, Johnny Darko, has been creating one of kind pieces with copper, silver and gold leaf. “I cover the entire piece with leaf which I then oxidize with various acids at various strengths…the end result is remarkable. The gold and copper burn, changing color and depth and a wonderful “tarnished” effect remains... reminiscent of an old worn wall in an ancient church or stone barn in Europe”.
 
Darko successfully carved out a unique and exciting career in the Australian art landscape but it wasn’t long before he begun craving the diverse culture and history so prevalent throughout Europe. That craving eventually brought him back to European shores where he settled in the south of France. 

When asked how Darko would convey his style he simply says, “There is something very ancient inside of Darko. When I’m in my studio I shut off every aspect of my life and step into another time and place. I was born addicted to fantasy. For me there is something very magical and beautiful when I look upon the ancient walls encasing a home, chateau or the like. Knowing that these amazing buildings have stood for hundreds of years and stood as guardians to many generations, teases my imagination as to what secrets these old walls may hold. The original stone that lay just beneath many layers of paint and render evokes something very deep inside”
 
The ethos behind Darko’s alchemy is as the words suggests, a combination of taking reclaimed materials that have perhaps come to the end of their journey and reinventing them into something new…giving them a new life yet still hearing the echoes of their former use.
 
If the art of “alchemy” is to take the seemingly ordinary and transform it into something quite extraordinary, then, artist Johnny Darko is indeed the “alchemist de force”.