Right before the pandemic pushed us all out of the office, Darcy Briks dropped off two stunning paintings that we intended to display in HudCo as part of a new project we were preparing to launch. Three months of lockdown, dozens of safety updates, and a gazillion pivots later, we’re ready to formally present our Art Program—a platform to connect the HudCo community with a thoughtfully selected art collection from local artists.
To kick off the Art Program, we’re pleased to exhibit two pieces of Darcy’s: To Sit In Thought 1 (2019) and To Sit In Thought 2 (2019), both of which were part of her first solo show, Magna Chroma, at Lucas Lucas in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
Darcy Lauren Briks (b. 1982, Milford, CT) moved around the suburbs of the Northeast quite a bit as a kid, which kept her curious and inspired her to explore various styles throughout her career. “My dad worked for GE, and he kept getting promoted and transferred every couple years when I was young,” she explained. “It forced me to make new friends and also be a little malleable, which definitely shaped my character.”
Darcy studied art and graphic design in a post-graduate program at Massachusetts College of Art and Design (Boston), and now she is the founder and creative director of Second Language Design, a boutique creative agency for branding, print, and web design.
Running a business while raising two young children can be all-consuming, but Darcy carves out the mental space to continue creating. “I make art when the inspiration strikes me. If I have a pocket (of time) in my day, I seize that time for art,” Darcy said. “Business takes precedence, as I have many responsibilities for my job. I definitely feel like I am fully utilizing my time. I just feel so much gratitude that I get to create my own schedule so that I can use my free moments for art or kid time.”
“I would say the strategy I’m working on is not over-scheduling and giving myself permission to not fill every moment with activity,” she continued.
Darcy’s work features abstract acrylics focused on exploring color combinations, with themes including political issues, feminism, climate change, motherhood, rebirth of self, and love. The Magna Series makes abstractions of overarching global and personal issues using freeform shapes and marks. Another series, Hutt Lagoon Pink Lake, features pinks, oranges, and emerald colors inspired by the aerial landscape views of a natural wonder on Western Australia’s coast. And, most recently, she made a small-scale series to raise money for Covid-19 relief and the Black Lives Matter movement with All Routes Will Work, a series of neutral, orange, and metallic freeform shapes. (All 12 paintings sold out!)
So what is inspiring Darcy these days? “Johanna Dumet, Jonny Niesche’s gradient art, Mary Nelson Sinclair, Vincent Van Gogh’s use of color, Seth Rogen’s ceramics,” Darcy said. “Also: Matthew Shlian, Darren Bader, and Yayoi Kusama.”
After a pandemic slowdown, Darcy’s just beginning to focus on her art again. “Sometimes there are years where I don’t feel compelled to make any new art at all,” she said. But she does have goals as an artist—“To continue to explore whatever strikes me as a concept for a one-off or series, and hopefully place art with the people who appreciate it most! I’d also like to explore ceramics more in the future.”
We welcome you to view Darcy’s two paintings in HudCo through the end of 2021, near the wellness entrance and the row of private offices. Both pieces are available for purchase; further information can be found in the Art Program information book at the front desk.