Derek is a Hobart based artist. Self taught.
Born in rural Western Australia, I grew up mostly in rural South Australia, with three family ventures to England for a dash of variety. My own restlessness as an adult prompted several moves around both Australia & England, as well as working in fields as diverse as retail, disability services, voluntary sector services, hospitality, furniture removals & energy healing. Throughout all these ventures & adventures, both writing & art remained a keen interest. A briefer than intended move to New Zealand to complete the final phase of writing my first novel, became an extended visit to Singapore & another return to Australia.
With my second return to Hobart, my interest in art quietly overtook my focus on writing, with my discovery and exploration of fluid art quickly dominating my pieces. There is an excitement in creating an artwork that you cannot control, where the result is part inspiration, part preparatory effort & intention, & finally submission to a process of mildly predictable chaos. The intended outcome may be broadly achieved, but the finer details of each piece are always unique & often surprising. The very fluidity of each colour flowing, blending, reacting as they are blown, tilted or spread over the canvas, creates an organic unfolding of myriad details that mesmerise as you explore the final piece.
And what I find most exciting about each piece, especially the purely abstract ones, is the almost endless variety of responses from those that view them. Do you see a wave? A flower? A cloud? A galaxy? Each artwork presents an opportunity for the observer to explore their own imagination as they get lost in the details.
I have found myself repeating certain styles that speak to me, my 'Ripple' series being one, but the process of stumbling along, exploring, learning & refining my expression of a largely unpredictable painting technique makes my heart sing, for want of a better term. It is a wonderful therapy & an even more wonderful gift to be sharing with those that derive pleasure from the finished works.