Christine Derrick - United Kingdom
About the artist
Member since 2008-03-30
Born in Somerset in 1955, Christine's career was entirely scientific after leaving school; based around microscopic and laboratory work. She kept up her interests in art by joining local evening classes and doing small oil paintings of the district's landscapes. In the 1980's she extended her media to include soft pastel as well.
In the 1990's, Christine explored various floral themes as an alternative to landscapes, during a period of illness. Initially producing very small and representational pieces in acrylic inks and gouache, Christine realised that she would need to modernise some of her work if they were ever to be sold beyond the local exhibition scene....especially on the Internet. This led into a period of experimenting, working bolder and semi-abstract designs on canvas, based on very close-up views of flowers.
In 1999 she started a website for her pictures, replacing it in 2001 with the current one. In 2004, encouraged by a steady trickle of Net sales and email enquiries, Christine took the decision to accept commissions. To date, she has completed around 15 pieces for private buyers, mainly floral on canvas but also a few gift items and landscapes in pastel.
In 2007 Christine was invited to contribute an image for the book "The Acrylic Flower Painters' A to Z".
Today, she is happy working with oils and acrylics on canvas and other panels; plus pastel; mixing flower subjects with favourite landscape themes such as clouds, weather effects and water.
She admits to not being a prolific painter ("no sausage-factory here"), but likes to aim to paint every day for at least three to four hours. This allows her to progress her ideas without getting over-tired, and balances well with life's other demands upon her time. Her other interests include reading, gardening, bird-watching, walking, photography, computers and astronomy.
Skills
- Drawing
- Painting
