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Check out Darcy Yates’s Artwork

Today we’d like to introduce you to Darcy Yates.

Darcy, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
Well, I can’t say I am too unique, starving artist isn’t the most original narration. But I was born and raised on the outskirts of Downtown Los Angeles towards the LA Crest forest in the foothills. I would draw for my friends through grade school, and in jr. high, I became the girl who illustrated the candy grams during the holidays. Sitting in a small closet during lunchtime selling xerox cards was defiantly a precursor for my career. In high school, I went to a multimedia magnet and majored in Animation and studio art. This was the time I decided to create art through non-traditional practices. My teacher heavily pushed me towards a digital art/collage AP art portfolio. Needless to say, I failed the portfolio review and I decided to go into Journalism in college. Three years into the Broadcast Journalism program at California State University Northridge and finding out through budget cuts my program wasn’t on the itinerary, I decided to become an Art major for illustration (I should at least fail in a career I love doing rather than wasting my time in Journalism). Through patience, great teachers (who also taught at Art Center) and persistence, I started to bloom. One of my favorite assignments was pulling random words out of a hat and creating an illustration based on them, one was Spirograph and I was truly born. Spirographs are such an important element in every piece of my art. Another assignment was using a photograph in an illustration, It was the last ingredient I needed to make my art truly me. My senior year I won Best in Show at Cal State Northridge’s annual art show. From there, I became an Intern for the Artist Gary Baseman and worked on merchandise, International Exhibitions and local art events with fellow artists. My art career has consisted of multiple print editions, art shows all around Los Angeles, The United States, and London, art installations, art directing photo shoots, giving back to the community and creating animated music videos for some awesome musicians. My new love is murals and has currently worked with PowWow in Lancaster 2018. I guess this wasn’t really brief, but I can say my journey consists of the people I met and the memories that come from them. Each of them is a reminder of the process and love that came before, like the photographs I use in my art, so do the memories.

We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
My art is a raw rendition of a memory. I use found materials like photographs, stitching, paint and printing techniques to convey my vision. I create with everything, and when I find a photograph that connects with me the process can begin. I believe emotion and the human condition is a big part of the art process. True art is what brings emotion to the viewer. I really strive to connect with those emotions through my art; happy, scared, sad, everything is subjective.

The message I want to give the viewer is, reflect the past and face those emotions that make us human. I grew up in a town that had a derelict charm to it. Even in a big town, the buildings can still be empty shells of what they once were, my inspiration comes from the ghosts that live within those walls. In this reality, it truly brings the raw and unique edge that gives life to my art.

Have things improved for artists? What should cities do to empower artists?
Honestly, I can’t really say its easier or harder than recent years, its just different. Now an artist can be a sculpture and an illustrator and a fine artist very fluidly. Once upon a time an Illustrator stayed in the New Yorker and a fine artist stayed in the gallery, but the lines have blurred in recent years. This makes it easier to transition but also has become a heavily competitive market. I believe the recipe for growth is to understand yourself, understand your market and understand that the art community can see through your shit, be genuine. Take every chance and challenge you can get and learn from it.

Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
If you live in Los Angeles, I have two murals up in Down Town, one of 7th and Mateo street and the other on Santa Fe towards the 10 freeway. An hour away from the city in Lancaster, I have another mural in the back of the Lancaster Museum of Art. Other than that, I am on and off in shows in multiple galleries and group shows throughout the year, on my website, I have a store with silk screens and masks, I have created. I always post about my new adventures on Instagram @DarcyoDay. I will always respond to emails and DM’s if you would like to purchase or commission your own piece.

Contact Info:

Image Credit:
Bryan “Birdman” Mier @BirdmanPhotos

Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.

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