Exhibition Review: Darren Elwell

A new HIVEArts supported exhibition featuring local teacher and illustrator, Darren Elwell, opened in the Church Street coffee shop on Thursday 28th March 2024. David Simper bused it down to catch this opening and work of striking quality.

This HIVEArts supported exhibition on the ground floor of the HIVE coffee shop on Church Street showcases the work of local illustrator Darren Elwell.

The art works were wall mounted with smaller pieces placed on tables and a display to the cafe’s rear. A short ‘creative diary’ booklet was an interesting addition. This is bold work with striking and immaculately composed images. Although I am out of my comfort zone with some of the source material, I could easily see the thought, skill and commitment that has gone into making this art. Elwell is seeking to create pieces of multi-layered texture, fun and personality – I would say this has been achieved.

Elwell has been a teacher and illustrator for over 20 years and has worked on packaging, advertising and illustration projects. His influences extend back to the ’80s and ’90s and include Marvel comics, Transformers toys, animated TV series and music.

“I have generally worked digitally for the past five or six years doing commercial work,” he told me when asked what led him to the techniques and materials he uses. “Then when lockdown hit and there wasn’t much work coming in, I needed to find something to keep the creativity going. I had a load of materials at home and just started drawing away. This set of work started to happen with mixed media and then just evolved over the last two years really.

“It’s an amalgamation of everything I loved as a kid and a teenager – all the bands, songs and comic books, films that still have an influence on me that I wanted to put into pictures. The project is still ongoing, I haven’t run out yet, there’s a load more in plan chests that need to be framed and which will hopefully go into the next exhibition.

“There’s definitely a lot of film in there, there’s a lot of comic book stuff. I like architecture, I love a Brutalist tower block – anything to get big, blocky buildings in there that I can then stencil or draw something and put on to the building, I’m in favour of.”

Thanks to Darren for giving us his thoughts. Also thanks as ever to the HIVE team for keeping us supplied with drinks and nibbles. Those smoked salmon and cream cheese vol au vents are just gorgeous.

From HIVE I popped up to the Blackpool Community Darkroom in Aunty Social at 28 Topping Street, where we made photograms, something I’ve not done since 1980. Great fun!

The clock ticked round and the service 6 bus got me home.

Elwell’s exhibition is well worth a look, especially as you have a well deserved snack and stock up on fruit, vegetables and the other sometimes hard to find comestibles available in the HIVE urban farm shop. The work will be on display for a month, so there’s a while to catch it.