Derek David Baron, born in Kankakee, IL, studied at the Art Center in Pasadena, CA, and the Laguna College of Art and Design. He currently lives and works in Dallas, TX.

Baron’s paintings incorporate elements of surrealism, mark-making, text, collage, pop imagery, all drawn from his own thoughts, experiences. His palette, while relatively simple, is rich in layered depth and saturation, while seemingly innocuous collaged or drawn objects - particularly coffee cups - float in a field of largely negative space. “I aim to create a balance between color and form, usually with only three elements.  I start out making random marks and scribbles on the canvas just to “activate” it.  By pushing and pulling paint and imagery, I’ll often attach a memory to it somewhere in the process.” Regardless of the work’s perhaps more serious intent, there’s often an innocence or child-like sense of play in most of Baron’s paintings.