Born in 1970 in Derbyshire, United Kingdom, Darren Reid is a self-taught artist who paints intricately detailed contemporary landscapes focussing particularly on his native Britain and the Californian landscape. From an empty stretch of road, a busy LA intersection, or a simple laundromat at night, Reid looks to find beauty in the humblest of places. Often painting on a small-scale, Reid's meticulous approach creates hyper real imagery. The technical rigour behind the paintings requires a higher level of attention from the viewer, calling for a deeper engagement with both the subject matter and themes at play in his work. Reid's ability to capture isolation brings forth an assessment of the effects of the urban and rural environments on the human psyche. Reid's skill and dexterity make for a formidable body of work, taking preliminary sketches and photographs to document each location he chooses to paint. Working from these sketches and photographs, Reid forms the complex and detailed composition of his subject matter. Each complex under drawing is then brought to life with a final layer of acrylic paint. Reid's paintings are held in collections throughout the world including Switzerland, Spain, Ireland, The Netherlands, United Kingdom and the United States.
