Derrick Fielding – Born in Liverpool in 1965, Derrick remembers spending much of his childhood with his head buried in a comic, usually The Beano or Whizzer and Chips. He would relish being sent to bed early as a punishment for some misdemeanour, so that he could read the latest escapade of The Bash Street Kids or Dennis the Menace. From an early age he loved to draw and as he grew older, began to use this passion to unleash an elaborate imagination that created various board games for his neighbourhood friends. Fortunately, his father was a painter and decorator so his earliest ‘canvases’ were the backs of rolls of wallpaper, of which there was always a steady supply of.

He later served an apprenticeship as a signwriter, painting the enormous advertising hoardings at sports venues up and down the country and this experience would influence his style as an artist in years to come.

Living on the edge of the city, he was fascinated by the beauty of the surrounding countryside and would slowly venture further and further out on his pushbike. He ended up spending many years travelling around the country on marathon cycling holidays with friends whenever the chance arose. It always occurred to him that there was so much to see on a bike that you would never notice when travelling by car.

Encouraged by friends and family, he loved to paint watercolour scenes of his home town and the success of these led him to painting professionally in 2007. His naive style is often dominated by light and shadow with exaggeration being the key, in both the composition and subject matter. He says ‘my inspiration comes from everyday life and the dramatic beauty of the landscape that is interwoven throughout our lives’.