Sunderland artist's clever depiction of Roker Lighthouse that's all a trick of the light

A Sunderland artist known for his large-scale showstopping pieces has created a unique depiction of Roker Lighthouse.

Darren Timby has a real passion for creating artworks from unusual materials, such as a portrait of Marilyn Monroe made using more than 26,000 screws.

Now, he’s turned his hand to creating an image of Roker Lighthouse as you’ve never seen it before.

A Trick of the Light(house) looks like a painting at a fleeting glance, but there is no actual image drawn out, rather it’s an illusion of tones.

The piece, measuring 8ft wide and weighing 35kg, was made using 80 vertical white strips of wood layered on a black canvas.

Darren explained: “There is no actual image drawn out, but rather an illusion of tones. The white shaped strips create highlights, while the black background is revealed to build the appearance of gradients.”

The huge piece has now taken pride of place at Hilton Garden Inn Hotel where it’s for sale.

Darren is part of the 24North East collective of artists who have a gallery in Fawcett Street and are displaying their works in the hotel as part of an ongoing partnership.

The partnership has already led to thousands of pounds worth of art sales and has recently been extended to meet demand, with artworks being displayed on every level of the hotel, featuring around 20 artists.

Trick of the Light(house) joins another of Darren’s striking pieces in the hotel.

His Kevin Phillips Screw Art piece is made from more than 10,000 screws and back in 2024, Super Kev added the final screw himself to complete the piece and signed the artwork.

Both are now on sale at the hotel alongside the work of other artists from 24North East.