Pale Ale

Created from a Coopers beer carton packaging, vintage book pages and reclaimed paper, this piece celebrates an Australian icon, the unmistakable green Coopers Pale Ale beer can.

Hundreds of carefully arranged paper fragments have been sourced from discarded and damaged books, junk mail, children's books, packaging materials, brochures and vintage magazines. The background incorporates pages torn directly from a well-worn vintage cookbook, their yellowed patina adding character and a sense of nostalgia to the work.

By repurposing materials that would otherwise be discarded, this artwork transforms forgotten ephemera into something new, giving a second life to everyday printed matter.

Finished with three coats of high-gloss varnish, the surface achieves a sleek, glass-like finish that enhances the richness, depth and vibrancy of the layered collage.

Cheers,
Darren

Follow

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.