‘The paintings have a lot of me in them; it’s really helping with my expression of art.’
physically and mentally exhausting.
I do not know what I would have been doing Are there reasons why you Paint particular
for the last 4 or 5 years.’ pieces?
‘There are reasons why I paint particular
pieces’, says Derek.
‘The painting of Kirkstone pass is about my
struggle with ME also I started to look at issues
in Cumbria like wind farms.
I had done pieces about the Winnash wind
farm in Teabay and was interested about
what was about to happen so I superimposed
wind turbines onto the landscape and that
Painting was then taken on by the campaign
against them. I was simply showing people
what can happen, my work is now more
politically and personally engaging, my art is
‘I started working on the patterns of the asking questions.’
landscape and was looking to show my work
when I came across Neo’s. It was Three or For instance, I have taken buildings from
Four years ago when I held my first exhibition, London and superimposed them onto various
which were Cumbrian field patterns. Since Landscapes of Cumbria.
then my work has really progressed and I This political edge has influenced my art, that
don’t think I would be where I am now with is how I ended up on the MA course, and
out the support and belief that Debby and inevitably, that has transformed what I am
Ryan from Neo’s instilled in me’. doing now.
My work, which involves taking scenes, from
other areas and placing them in the country
stemmed from 1740 capriccio Art.
At college people where asking what I was
aiming to do, I have now focused for my ma,
on the growth of Cities and the impact they
have on surrounding areas.
Derek’s work is now being shown in Liverpool
and he has works going to Paris Argentina
‘I am in the middle of traditional and and California.
contemporary art and do not see myself as
part of any of those movements. About selling your work, how do you feel
I’m doing an MA in fine art at the Cumbrian about that?
University and am now learning how to use ‘There are pieces I’m really attached to and
oil paints which is something incredible that is I generally keep them, some are particularly
34 info@thewestcumbriaguide.co.uk
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