I Was Cold and I Was High

This piece is a mash up containing a screen print on paper (central face and surrounding imagery) along with layered elements of other test prints I've created over the years. These additional pieces have been torn, recycled, painted and reassembled to create this one of a kind piece.

I've also added collaged elements taken from a 1950's magazine called 'English Woman' which add great nostalgic vintage elements to this artwork. The ads alone in this mag are something special.

The coloured stripes are also from my old screen print test prints painted with fluoro paints that give the artwork extra depth. The layered collaged elements create a textured surface that would be impossible to create with just paint.

The piece was created on a Premium Gessoed warp resistant Hardboard.

2 coats of gloss varnish have also been applied to protect the artwork. The gloss gives a glassy sheen to the artwork that really brings out the details in this piece. Pics were taken pre varnish as the glossy surface can mess with the photography process. The artwork has a wire at the back so it is ready for your wall, or you may wish to frame the piece directly after purchase using the fantastic Bluethumb options.

Thanks for checking it out. Cheers Darren

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Based near Wollongong on the NSW East Coast of Australia, Darren King is a multidisciplinary artist working across collage, printmaking, mixed media, and painting. Over the past five years, he has honed a distinctive visual language that merges traditional and contemporary techniques.

Trained in Fine Arts, cartooning, illustration, graphic design, and screen printing, King combines elements from each of these disciplines to create bold, textural, and visually engaging works. Since refocusing on original mixed media art in 2021, he has developed a particular passion for collage.

Working primarily with recycled and repurposed materials - including discarded magazines, junk mail, maps, paper bags, and vintage books—King transforms the everyday into vibrant, layered compositions. His art captures the beauty of the ordinary and evokes a playful nostalgia, celebrating the local, the joyous, the tasty or the long-forgotten.

King’s work has been featured on Selling Houses Australia (Annandale 2025), earned multiple art awards, and been exhibited in numerous group shows and art prizes.
His artworks are held in private collections worldwide.