Art studio showcases culture and talent

Local studio displays culture and talent

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Franklin Square artist and Outrlimits Art Studio owner Darren Boerckel, better known at Darren (D’mon) Borkel, is a painter who sometimes uses an unconventional canvas. While many of his paintings can be hung on a wall, others can also be seen walking around.

Boerckel uses the human body as a canvas and showcased his talents over a three-day series from Feb. 13-15 called ‘Black Hearts and Red Dreams’ at his studio in Franklin Square.

The show presented previous work though focused on his paintings from the past year; a collection that featured the concept of painting thoughts.

“This was the first year where I really started to loosen up,” Boerckel said, “I loosened up my style; I didn’t really care much. It was more just about being it, and doing it, and just making it happen. So I wasn’t overly worried if that line wasn’t perfect.”

Boerckel says the idea was something he had been toying with for a long time. The human brain produces 50,000 thoughts a day, he said, which inspired his art. Boerckel said he started collecting thoughts by periodically asking people to write down an idea, which he would then turn into a painting.

“Life inspires me most,” said Boerckel, “everything, people around me, conversations that I’ve had, things that happen, things that I see.”

Boerckel’s brother, Brett Boerckel, said his brother is extremely creative. “Darren could walk into a junk yard and make art of it.”

The weekend featured three days of an artistic series. Friday, Feb. 13, was the kick off night and local experimental rock-funk band Transcend performed.

Jamming out

It was the first night the newest addition to the band played. Guitarist, Hugh Flynn, a sophomore attending Carey High School, explained that the band works well together. They’re constantly feeding creative vibes off of one another. “I just go with the flow,” Flynn explained.

Midway through the show, keyboardist Ivan Karlovic, of Franklin Square, said he was confident in their performance.

They jammed out in the studio for a few hours, ending each set with a round of applause.

Sometimes performing as a jam band, Transcend doesn’t work with set lists or music written in advance. Instead, the musicians play from instinct.

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