Colin Darke is a fair-minded corporate executive from Detroit. But his rarity lies in the fact that, while only 1% of the world population is naturally ambidextrous, literally 1 in nearly a billion can draw freely with both hands simultaneously to make exquisite, detailed character studies.
Yes, Colin draws these with both hands in real time, and as a result, can make stunningly original work in very little time. He most often draws with one color per hand to illuminate this incredibly rare talent. And the world is noticing (over 10 Million video views in only a couple of months).
While Colin has been drawing since he was 5 years old, he only would draw with both hands as practice and never really showed that talent to anyone – in fact, he would just use his left hand when his right hand got tired, not thinking anything of it.
He started posting 3x sped-up videos of his process, and the initial reaction made him realize how unique this ability really was. He noted, “The positive support has really inspired me to create more -- and the more I create, the more I want to create. Creativity truly breeds creativity.”
This has led to a flurry of commentary, with some fans claiming Colin uses both sides of his brain. Not quite, but Colin has been featured in a couple magazines for being a successful attorney and artist. Modern Counsel observed, “One might say that Colin Darke’s lifetime calling is to create. As an artist, attorney, father, and avid fan of the newly burgeoning city of Detroit, Darke harnessed his considerable imaginative skills to enhance his home, office, and even his community.” He creates and he creates at an exceptionally high level. In fact, he helped start Rocket Loans in 2015--Colin is General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer for Rocket Loans, a fintech company in Detroit (and part of the Family of Companies that includes Rocket Mortgage (Quicken Loans)).
In describing his art, The Detroit News said Darke employs, “a bold, colorful style reminiscent of the German Expressionists.” Darke regularly shows in Michigan and New York. In 2017, he was one of a small group of artists selected for Art in the City: Detroit Visionaries, at the Carr Center in Detroit. In 2010, Rackstraw Downes (a 2009 MacArthur Fellow) selected one of Colin’s pieces for the 18th Annual National Juried Exhibition at the Bowery Gallery (New York, NY).
Darke also loves to write (he has more than 100 published articles). He has written for the highly influential Brooklyn-based art blog Hyperallergic, and for several years he was a cultural critic for The Huffington Post. He was also the Editor-in-Chief for the popular cultural webzine TheDetroiter.com for several years. During that time, he organized the Beauty Debate event, which consisted of (1) a large art show of 20 nationally and internationally recognized artists (including street artist ELLE and video artist Tim White-Sobieski), and (2) a panel discussion of local art experts and art experts from New York (including Hyperallergic founder and Editor-in-Chief Hrag Vartanian).
He was also a writer-in-residence for PBS’s Art:21 Magazine, where one of his articles was a top ten most viewed article in 2012. He has been covered in The Huffington Post, The Detroit News, the Wall Street Journal blog, and WDET (public radio), among other news organizations, including having features written about him in Motion magazine and Modern Counsel magazine.
His love of creating and learning also led Colin to study the law. After obtaining his Bachelor of Fine Art with an emphasis in watercolor painting from Western Michigan University, Darke obtained a Juris Doctorate, cum laude, from Michigan State University. He has also obtained a Masters in Banking and Financial Law from Boston University School of Law (where he was awarded the A. John Serino Outstanding Graduate Banking Law Student Prize at graduation).
All-in-all, Colin is moving at an exceptionally fast pace and the world is starting to catch-up to realize what a unique, creative talent he really is.
