Darcie Lee Hanaway

Darcie Lee Hanaway

Darcie Lee Hanaway

Artist’s Bio

I was born in Rhode Island. Our childhood caretaker named me Doodle Darcie. I have been encouraged to make art since I was an infant. Throughout high school I attended night classes on the RISD campus in figure and life drawing, on top of my athletic and scholastic commitments. I went on to pursue painting and sculpture and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Rhode Island College.

I rented studio space in the large industrial mills of Providence, RI.I built installations in them. Large metal pieces of old ventilation systems loomed over head in the rafters, walls were built of reclaimed storm windows and harvested street signs. I collaborated with many artists, threw amazing events, painted paintings that would never fit in anyone’s home. It was a playground for my imagination.

I moved to Martha’s Vineyard in 2007. With the flood of tourism and residents in the summer months and the utter shutdown of many things in the winter, I found it’s cycle inspiring. I discovered time for the first time in my life, as it relates to plants, seasons, and the life cycle of the natural world. In a way, I aspire to achieve the natural pace of the birds around me.

I began living off the grid in the summer months with my partner at the time. It was tiny shack of a building with a loft on the back corner of a horse farm. We had a hose that ran from the barn, oil lanterns, a grill, and his guitar. There is something to be said for living with less. Every time my world gets a little to hectic, I remember this way of living and get back to the basics.

I started a garden design and maintenance company after mentoring under two women. I use organic methods and hand tools. The old way, the right way. I like to call my gardens living installations.

A dear friend of mine called me one day in 2013 and said, “I’ve bought the building. I need you. It’s time to get work.” I closed up my season and headed south to embark on a design mission. We were opening a restaurant from scratch. From design and installation to bar building, wine menu making, staff hiring and training, we made it happen. 3rd&3rd is the love child of all of us who collaborated in a vision to make a place where everyone wanted to be and everyone was welcome. If you have a chance to visit Delray Beach, Florida, pop in. They will be happy to have you. RIP John Paul — I’m heading to paint in your honor this winter.

I travel in the winter to make art and keep myself inspired. I have a studio in Oak Bluffs, MA on Martha’s Vineyard and I currently live in West Tisbury, MA. I spend time mentoring young artists from the Charter School as my schedule allows.

Artist’s Statement

My work is a mixed media narrative of sorts. The pieces often deal with healing of the self, of society, of nature, and of the world. I am drawn to cycles and systems present in nature, various cultures, and in life as we know it. My work is process driven and intuitively made, following thoughts and images as they pass through my conscience-ness. Visual texture is established through multiple layers and capturing manic creative energies.