Over the past few years Eric Darling has collected over a ton of abandoned pot warp and has
explored its versatility as a durable art medium. There is a cultural and historical connection
between the lobster fishing line and the livelihoods of many coastal communities of Maine and
beyond, which has inspired Darling to start the Drift Rope Project. The project has allowed
Darling to create art with a mission: recycling one of Maine’s largest industries’ waste into fine
art, and highlighting how integral the rope is to the livelihoods of Maines’ coastal communities.
He hopes to pioneer a new frontier of sustainable art and bring awareness to the many ways
this overlooked material could become an art tourism attraction.
Eric Darling is a self-taught artist native to New England. He went west to earn a BA in
Anthropology at San Diego State University. Interests such as photography, travel, and culture,
as well as an overall appreciation for the natural world are all evident in his work. He tends to
oscillate between mediums, using elements from his photography to catch impressions of
fleeting moments with oil on canvas; or using wood, glass and stain, and upcycled pot warp in
mixed media assembly and sculpture. For more information regarding the artist please visit his
website www.ericdarlingart.com.
I have been creating this wall installation since 2010. Its title is Library and it currently consists of eleven panels and is made up of many (over 150 at this point) individual book-like boxes that house artifacts, curiosities, my own art and other small constructions. I am drawn to the stained and abused surfaces of old and discarded objects, the stuff of previous lives and times and the rustier, the more ancient looking the better. Each individual piece is constructed by hand.
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