“I place more importance on using a unique style and palette rather than painting a fish to look photo realistic. When painting fish, I try to capture all the intricacies they possess; their scales, patterns, dimension and texture. For me, the most inspirational vision comes once I’ve landed a particularly beautiful fish. I hold it up, tilting the fish back and forth in the sunlight, allowing all the subtle colors and patterns to come alive. After setting the fish back into the water and releasing it into the depths, the only thing on my mind is getting back to my studio to bring that fish back to to life on my canvas.” – Derek DeYoung

 Watch Derek as he works on “2 Panel Redfish Confetti”