Darren Oates

Over a decade of Art: Est. 2013

An artist sought after for his unique style and form. Darren is pragmatic, though not utilitarian, in his approach to his practice. He considers both form and function to be vital. From a personal perspective, he invests his making for both aesthetics and functionality. He believes in traditional joinery, but is not a purist. If he can make an extremely strong joint using a jig or machine, then that is what he will do but beauty is key.

Responsible timber sourcing is also important to Darren. Most of his pieces are made from reclaimed Australian native timbers. These are trees that have been cut down to make way for developments – usually housing estates, roads and highways, industrial and commercial sites. Most of this timber is destroyed but there are a few people around with portable timber mills who harvest these beautiful trees, which allows him to make beautiful artefacts with it. When he not using this, Darren tries to use Forest Stewardship Council accredited timber. A lot of Darren’s work involves the use of curved elements, the majority of these being bent laminations. Darren tries to maintain chic simplicity throughout his work.

In essence Darren is aiming to produce collectable antiques for the next century to come.