IT IS ALL ABOUT LIGHT...

For the past several months, I’ve seen Darren Goins apply silkscreen to works on paper, works on metal, Styrofoam and even holographic vinyl. I’ve seen him apply “metal flake” aka glitter to works on paper, suspended in resin, and even used in sculpture. So it was a big surprise for me to see neon in his studio. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve always been fond of neon, but I’m just not exactly sure what draws me to it.
 
Curious as to how he ended up working with this new medium, I asked him if he had time to talk about this new series of work, and after a few minutes it was clear, it was all about light. He pointed to the metal flake and the gradients in his existing work that leaned against the wall in his studio and said,  “I’ve always been working with materials that are a reflection of light or modeled after light. But now I’m interested in the bigger diameter of art, beyond the physical piece itself. Neon has the unique ability to control an environment and change the way we respond.” 
 
When I asked him how much he had been inspired by Dan Flavin, Darren said that he had recently taken a trip to New York and was lucky enough to see a work in progress by Keith Sonnier. And having introduced nontraditional media to his work already, he was motivated by that experience and ready to take it to the next level. “There are so many ways to use light and with the growing technology, I’m looking into other more malleable options like fiber optics and LED.”
 
So after ten months at the Center, the end of his residency is in sight. But before Darren wraps up the end of his journey at McColl Center for Visual Art, he hopes to complete a handful of projects including the neon project, prepping several silkscreen with new images while he still has access to a light table and completing several small works on paper that he can take on the road, in particular, to the Drawing Center in New York City.

Visit Darren in his studio on March 19th during the closing reception to see the new work and bid farewell.