Darell Koons

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Darrell John Koons (b. December 18, 1924) an American painter, was for forty years a member of the art faculty at Bob Jones University. Born in Albion, Michigan, Koons earned an undergraduate degree in art from BJU in 1951 and a master of arts degree in art education from Western Michigan University (1955).

Koons had more than forty one-man exhibitions, including exhibitions at University of South Carolina, Wake Forest University, the Mint Museum, Charlotte, NC, Columbus Museum, Columbus, GA, and the Washington County Museum of Art, Hagerstown, MD. Koons’ paintings are in hundreds of public and private collections including the Gibbes Gallery, Charleston, SC; the Greenville County Museum of Art, Greenville, SC; the South Carolina State Art Collection; the Governor’s Mansion, Columbia, SC; The Mint Museum, Charlotte, NC; Eastern Michigan University; Warren Wilson College, Swannanoa, NC; Central Wesleyan College, Central, SC; the W. Clement Stone Collection, Chicago; and the Indonesian Embassy. Koons’ paintings have been published in Contemporary Artists of South Carolina, Artist/U.S.A., and three editions of Prizewinning Art.[1]

Art critics have called his distinctive style “magic realistic,” because the viewer tends to read into the picture more than actually appears.[2] Koon’s deceptively simple paintings, mostly in watercolor or polymer, give the viewer an impression of extreme detail in old buildings such as barns, cotton gins, and mills.[3] In a 1972 interview, Koons noted that he enjoyed playing with space, especially in a building opening. He virtually never included figures in his painting but teased the viewer with open doors that "give the impression of recent activity." Koons’ work has been compared to that of Andrew Wyeth, although Koons himself believed the greatest influence on his art were the shadows and simplicity of Edward Hopper and the straight lines of Mondrian.[4]

Koons made a hobby of giving religious “chalk talks” to church groups especially during the Christmas and Easter seasons. In 1970, Koons joined with two other BJU faculty members, Emery Bopp and Carl Blair, to found Hampton III Gallery, one of the first commercial galleries in Upstate South Carolina.[5]

[edit] Notes and References

  1. ^ Biographical information from Hampton III Gallery
  2. ^ Greenville Piedmont, December 4, 1973, 17.
  3. ^ Examples of Koons' work at Elderart.com
  4. ^ Greenville News, November 19, 1972, 2B.
  5. ^ Hampton III Gallery home page.