Today we’d like to introduce you to Derek Baron. Them and their team share their story with us below:
Born in Kankakee, IL. In 1967, Baron left his hometown at the age of seventeen and headed to California with $100 in his pocket. He worked a variety of jobs until he could get into art school. He received his training at the Art Center, Pasadena, CA in 1997 and The Art Institute of Southern California in 1998 and has been a practicing artist since. His work has been featured in both group and solo exhibitions since 1997. Baron now resides in Dallas.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
A smooth road it has not been… I’ve held many, many odd jobs and all the time trying to make my art. The jobs just funded my passion. I have come off the road of art many times and then back on…From being homeless and sleeping in my car to giving up art totally and trying to work a “normal” 9 to 5. But, one thing had always remained an underlying constant for me… my art.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Most of my paintings incorporate elements of surrealism, mark-making, text, collage, and pop imagery, all drawn from my own thoughts, experiences. My main body of work explores childhood memories, everyday objects, or an emotion. My work has childlike simplicity with layers of complexities. Many images, writings, and memories are buried in layers of paint. Some of these show through while others are covered up forever…just like feelings are.
My palette, is simple, but rich in layered depth and saturation, while seemingly innocuous collaged or drawn objects – float in a field of largely negative space. I aim to create a balance between color and form, usually with only three elements. I start out making random marks and scribbles on the canvas just to “activate” it. By pushing and pulling paint and imagery, I’ll often attach a memory to it somewhere in the process.
Regardless of the work’s perhaps more serious intent, there’s often an innocence or child-like sense of play in most of my paintings. This sense of play underscores my personality as an artist who, while not taking himself too seriously, tries to maintain a strong work ethic, creative momentum, and commitment to my career.
Also, I illustrated in the Book of Shadows for the WB’s TV show Charmed.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
Advice… An older artist gave me this little bit of advice in my early days and I have never forgotten it.
“No matter what is happening in your life, never stop making art”… It has really stuck with me all these years.
Contact Info:
- Email: derekdavidbaron@gmail.com
- Website: www.derekdavidbaron.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/derekdavidbaron
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