Painting by Darren King 180 Artwork Sold

Mr Sparkle

Mixed Media, Canvas, Ready to hang

16in (W) x 16in (H) x 0.8in (D)

Certificate of Authenticity Included
$530

Artwork Description

He's Disrespectful to Dirt

This nostalgia-fueled artwork is packed with layered textures, hidden details, and unexpected discoveries, inviting viewers to embrace the silliness.

Drawing inspiration from both The Simpsons and Japanese visual culture, the piece combines favourite Simpsons characters with imagery sourced entirely from vintage Japanese books on culture and illustration. The Simpsons elements have been carefully rescued from an old comic book and a damaged board game, giving discarded materials a new life and purpose.

Created using acrylic paint and hand-layered paper collage, the work celebrates the beauty of reuse, reinvigorating materials that might otherwise have been thrown away. Multiple layers of paper and paint create rich textures, depth, and visual surprises throughout the composition.

Vibrant pink paint makes this piece pop and it's sure to be a conversation starter.

The surface is protected with three coats of gloss varnish, giving the artwork a smooth, glass-like finish that enhances colour, contrast, and depth.

Ready to hang, the artwork is fitted with a hanging wire and features fully finished painted and collaged edges. A frame can also be added through Bluethumb during purchase if desired.

Please feel free to get in touch with any questions, or if you'd like to discuss a commissioned artwork for your space.

Cheers,
Darren

Artist Bio

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.