derekbondartAvoiding the traditional academic approach, Derek is a completely self-taught egg tempera painter who is often seen as transcending the rules. Dividing his time between the rocky coastline of his northern California home and the aired desert landscape of Utah, Derek maintains a relatively consistent realist painting style. Derek finds inspiration to utilize in his artwork in many outdoor activities such as fly-fishing, an activity for which he was a casting instructor and part time lecturer at Humboldt State University, free-diving, spear fishing, hiking and cycling. He gravitates to several identifiable landscape subjects and models, to which he returns repeatedly. During his solitary walks and dives he develops an extraordinary connection and spiritual understanding of his surroundings.