TAKING ON LES DARCY

TAKING ON LES DARCY

What a joy it is to see Les Darcy standing proud at the entrance of the art gallery in his home town; in fighting pose ready to take folk on as they walk up the stairs to enter the building.

In a pose familiar to many fans of the legendary Les Darcy, stencil artist Mr Skel has recreated a dynamic image of ‘the Maitland Wonder’ into a playful work of art to be enjoyed from the street as part of the MRAG celebrations Just Paper.

Mr Skel commented that:

The choice of Les Darcy as a subject began purely as a personal challenge. Could I successfully create a homage to the legend in his hometown, where the name Les Darcy has passed everybody’s lips.

But it was the end of his short life that really grabbed me; thumbing his nose at authority and criticism, risking it all, to chase his dream and to be brought home a hero, worshipped by the naysayers.

by Kim Blunt Gallery Curator

(left page) Les Darcy and sparring partner 1-4, n.d. Milton Kent Studio, Sydney silver gelatin print (reproduction), 25 x 20 cm purchased by Maitland Regional Art Gallery, 2010

(left) Mr Skel, Les Darcy, 2015 stencil art, 275 x 125 cm

SHOWCASE N o 3

SHOWCASE N o 3: ARTWORK BY YEAR 7-12 LOCAL HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

(top) Making a bird mask, Art Sunday in the Art Factory, 2013, Free art activities every Sunday at MRAG between 11am - 1pm (lower left) Abby Whyburn, My front yard, 2015, acrylic paint and posca pen on canvas, 20 x 25 cm (lower centre) Georgia Burns, Untitled 2, 2015, digital photography, 29.6 x 29.6 cm (lower right) Keighley Clark, Starry Marilyn, 2015, digital image, 61 x 71 cm