Ambassador to a guarded life Painting

Derek Covington Smith was raised in Brookhaven, Mississippi. He was surrounded by a conservative culture and upbringing which challenged him to push boundaries in himself and his artwork. He started admiring the lines and colors in comic book at a young age and has evolved from ink to paper to emotion on canvas. He has an Associates in Fine Arts and a Culinary Degree in Pastry and Baking. He still decorates cakes from time to time, but is truly passionate about traditional and nontraditional art. In 2002 Derek moved to Orlando, FL and has been a successful professional artist for over 10 years. During his free time between teaching private art classes to the youth and speaking at local art museums, Derek works at his studio in Central Florida constantly creating one of a kind pieces to share with the community. Derek strives on creating an emotional fluidity between his artwork, the audience, and himself. His work challenges everyday emotions and provokes deeper more connected responses. He is fond of structure and transparency and regularly uses mediums such as graphite, charcoal, soft pastels, acrylics, and watercolors to relay his message. Most of his inspiration comes from people. People’s fashion, their expressions, and their strengths. He calls his practice, “Abstract Realism,” taking recognizable subject matter and stretching dimension and color.