http://0329574.netsolhost.com/aboutjerral/An Artist's Journey

Jerral Derryberry Biography

                                                                           by Gregory M. Arnold

I recently spoke with Jerral Derryberry at his Texas studio in Waxahachie. Waxahachie is the Waco Indian name for Buffalo Creek, it's a small victorian town, that proudly maintains its late 1800's victorian architectural heritage, well enough, anyway, to be called the picture-perfect town by the movie industry. It's truly a picturesque place and, amazingly, only 30 miles South of the DFW metroplex.

Jerral's studio is filled with the things he loves, art books, art books and more art books and did I mention art books?   In addition, there's a small victorian-style fireplace and a model platform with his easel sitting near the edge.  Jerral's paintings are about peace and quiet. Seeking out subjects that bring him inner peace, Jerral says, "I draw strength and renewed energy from the play of light on the mountains and rivers and the beauty and elegance of a well-composed still life or figure work.  I find myself being drawn, more and more often, to the Native American people, whom, I believe, represent the upward spiral of perseverance, wisdom, gratitude and ultimately grace. These are among the things that inspire me to put paint on canvas." So it's not surprising that many of Jerral's collectors have expressed that they experience some of those same emotions upon viewing Jerral's paintings. "There is a calm, a peace and quiet, that comes over you when you view his work, that we love" say a Dallas couple who have collected Jerral's paintings over the years. "Few things could make me happier than knowing that the emotions I'm experiencing are coming from my heart, down my arm and through my brush and that the communication is strong enough to speak to others."

        Like many artists, Jerral's has been a journey of varied experiences with his work reflecting such. As a young architect, practicing in Houston, Texas, Jerral's early subjects, during the late 60's through the early 80's, reflected his love of racing sailboats and the yachting community with many marine paintings and seascapes showing up in private and corporate collections.

In 1985, Jerral relocated to Taos and Santa Fe, Mexico.  Over the next ten years, he became one of the early plein air painters, (before plein air was considered cool) selling suitcase-sized plein air paintings of Santa Fe and Taos street scenes and New Mexico landscapes. He became intently interested in the New Mexico impressionist masters, Sharp, Couse, Fechin and Berninghaus. He studied with, and his work was mostly influenced by, Ned Jacob, Mike Lynch, Albert Handel and Kenneth Riley, CA. He began to enjoy success with selling his paintings through galleries in Santa Fe and Taos and juried art shows in the Scottsdale market. Also, it was during this time period that his love of fly fishing matured and he produced many paintings of that subject, which he continues to do.

In the late 1990's, Family business brought Jerral back to Texas (Dallas), where he established a home, eventually settling into a Texas-style Victorian house (circa 1898), on Main Street, in Waxahachie. Back in Texas, he found himself faced with an entirely different art market. Initially, he made a business decision to primarily devote his efforts (at least for a while) to studying and improving his painting knowledge and skills, while undertaking the study of the subjects that he had become intensely interested in, Color Theory and Theory of Dynamic Design (circa 1865-1935). After a period of collecting large amounts of data, he began to teach a series of workshops, called "the Quest".

Early in 2000, he became involved with the Rocky Mountain Plein Air Painters and renewed a love-affair with the Rocky Mountains that began in childhood (having spent many childhood summers in Georgetown, Colorado). Also, It was through the connection with his gallery in Estes Park, Colorado, Loch Vale Fine Art, that he was invited to participate in trips each year to paint in Scotland, culminating in several shows in Estes Park of the Scotland paintings.

The latest significant influence in Jerral's journey as a painter, began in 2005, when he was one of the 50 artists invited each year to participate in Artist's Ride, a western / Native American photo shoot held near Wall, South Dakota. It has been in South Dakota, over the past few years, where Jerral has developed his lasting impressions of, and immense inspiration from, the Native American people, causing a broadening of his subject genre to include western and Native American figure works and bringing to fruition a trend that had emerged in the Taos Santa Fe years. As a side note, in looking through some old sketchbooks in his studio, Jerral showed me a drawing of two Native American figures on horseback done in 1967. "It feels great to once again be in touch with my long-time passion for the old west."

In 2011, Jerral finds himself primarily focused on painting Native American figures and mountain and rural landscapes. In the Summer of 2011, he plans to spend a significant amount of time painting in the Madison River Valley of Montana.  Jerral says, "I'm looking forward to painting the mountain ranges, rivers and, if I'm lucky, the Blackfeet people in Glacier National Park area."

                                                       Gregory M. Arnold for GY Press, Ltd. ©2010