Collection: Derrick Miller

Derrick was born in 1959 and grew up in North West London. Derrick loved drawing in pencil from a very young age and his teachers were wowed by his natural talent.

As a troubled teenager he spent a lot of time in prison where his talent flourished taking on commissions from other prisoners, prison officers and even the governors! He painted portraits of their children, wives and girlfriends and his work got better and better.

In February 2020, whilst living in a bed sit with virtually no room to paint, he discovered Unit 6 Art Studios in Barnstaple where he was offered his own studio space and he hasn’t looked back since. “This place is a god send and I have thrived here”.

He is now building up a large volume of work in charcoal, pastel but predominantly in oil and is inspired in his newfound environment enjoying sharing ideas with the other Unit 6 artists. He is now planning to start painting landscapes and seascapes for his next projects.

“I just want to paint, if I can sell a painting or two, then that’s a bonus but I ask myself if I didn’t sell any would I still paint? Oh yes! I would carry on and paint”.