sup i’m darcie

—

I was born & raised in Dover, NH, where I currently live— someday I hope I can afford to die here!! Yay!!

I love the Seacoast and am wicked passionate about bringing all kinds of alternative art & community building to this area.

My artwork centers around learning to love all my big crazy emotions and dealing with my weird brain. I tend to use animal characters, like cats, dogs and unicorns, because they’re silly and sweet, and act as a good juxtaposition against some of the more serious undertones that often pop up in my work. My art style is relatable and funny— kids AND adults can see themselves in it. It brings me so much joy when people relate to my art— the result of a very personal, therapeutic practice. I’m a firm believer that anyone can and should make art. There’s no such thing as “good” art— what matters is that you find your voice & style through your own process.

I’ve been super influenced by Cartoon Network, which I watched as a kid in the early 00s (Powerpuff Girls, Totally Spies, Courage the Cowardly Dog, Spongebob Squarepants, and Ed, Edd n Eddy in particular). I’ve also drawn from the work of John Campbell (“Pictures for Sad Children”); Simon Hanselmann (of the “Megahex” series); Nan Goldin; David Shrigley; Egon Schiele and Bjenny Montero. I read a lot of Rookie and NYLON magazines as a teenager and spent way too much time doom scrolling on Tumblr. Music videos by the Talking Heads, Siouxsie & the Banshees, Kate Bush, Grimes, Black Moth Super Rainbow, and Chad VanGaalen have also made lasting impressions on me.

I worked closely with Wrong Brain arts collective, based in Dover, NH, from 2013 to 2023, where I gained a ton of experience in organizing community art events. I worked with Sue’s Space, community arts and performance venue, in Rollinsford, NH, from its opening in 2017 until its closure in 2020, and became a resident of SuesStudios in 2023. During my time enrolled at Montserrat College of Art, in Beverly, MA, I organized student shows with Bare Gallery and assisted in installing professional art shows with Montserrat Galleries. I’ve been enrolled in community college since 2019, and am currently working towards an Associate’s in Early Childhood Education, and currently work in early childhood daycare and as the leader of an after school program— I love that I get to work with children in a lightly structured environment where I can provide them with activities where they can show up as their whole selves.

I’ve volunteered, organized, performed in & hosted countless music, comedy & art shows / festivals around the Seacoast. I initially became known in the area around 2015 for creating a bunch of weird web content as my comedy alter-ego, Skimmed Milk… I was a main wrestler in a group comedy show for four seasons! In 2016, my partner Alex Keown and I started Rock Water Film Festival, aimed at projecting the visions and voices of filmmakers of all skill sets. We’ve run this fest every summer and have shown hundreds of shorts from folks who submit & attend from all around New England and beyond. I founded Open Mic Standup Nite in 2017, which I ran until I shifted my focus to teaching. Open Mic Standup Nite was an inclusive monthly comedy show that focused on giving people the opportunity to try their hand at stand-up comedy in a welcoming space that maintained a zero-tolerance policy towards bigotry & bullying that so often shows up in stand-up.

Locally, I’ve been really lucky to have been mentored by some great friends: my partner Alex Keown, Sam Paolini and their mom Laurie, Cassie Brasseau, Joey Pratt, Shawn Perry, my friends in Rick Rude, and Adam Gouveia all helped me learn materials and methods in art-making and community leadership.