Derrick R Kearney

Artist Statement

We all have a story to tell. It's something I have believed my entire life and has been much of my professional focus. Everyone wants and deserves to be heard. In our modern world, it is often easy to forget this. We spend so much of our time staring into tiny boxes waiting for some sort of connection. Waiting for someone to hear us as we tell our stories each day through our shares. I once said that we live in a technological Time Square and the events of this year have truly proved that. Many of us have spent 2020 feeling isolated from the surrounding world. The pieces shared in the Shamanic Innovations collection represent my own feelings of isolation during a period of self-discovery.

I didn't always see the unique gifts that I offer the world. Like many people, I have lived at times with doubt standing in the way of talent. My youth was spent creating and entertaining those around me. However, like many in my adult years, I extinguished that internal spark. I settled for a corporate life that left me unhappy. I felt helpless in every way possible watching the world burn from the comfort of a studio chair.

A few years back, I picked up a canvas and began to explore the world around me. I was left feeling broken by a series of events in 2016. Using paint, I decided to go inward and document the experience as best possible, giving myself a roadmap back. Since that life-changing experience, I'm motivated to express myself in ways I didn't know I was capable of. My work is not so much done for artistry as it is therapy, having pulled me from a dark place and back to joy. It's so much better to focus on the brightness of life rather than the gloom we're often distracted by.

There is something addictive about creating. You get a vision of the idea in your mind that begs so strongly to be born that everything else in life moves aside from this change. The spark haunts you while awake and stirs more in your mind as you try to sleep. It's almost how some would describe a spiritual calling from God or an awakened connection to one's higher self. I cannot begin to express how many dreams I have had of artwork over these past few years. Some were nightmares filled with anger and reminders of loss, while others were whimsical fantasies filled with neon and glitter. Shamanic Innovations is a collection of these visionary creations. With each creation, I give a little piece of my soul journey over these past few years to the world. With all the doom and gloom we have in our world today it is nice to have some light and love to share.

A signature throughout many of my pieces is an inspiring glow. This is reminding the viewer that despite whatever life throws your way, you've got this and can handle it. It's a motto and mantra I have taken to heart knowing that self-expression is essential for our human existence. In my mornings I wake up grateful to be able to creatively express myself without inhibition and that's why the work is so free-flowing. My folk art, my abstract pieces, my sculptures are all literal expressions of creative freedom. I want the viewer to hold witness to my metamorphosis from inward-eating stasis to a floetic exhibition.

The process of creation is truly ceremonial for me. It's amazing to stretch and grow a scene on what was once a blank surface. I feel honored each time I am able to share one of these creations with the public.

I'm pretty sure that my artwork breaks a few rules. There is very little measuring outside of the eyeball line. My surfaces are normally found covered in scratches and weblike patterns that show the connection from where I have been to where I am going as a creative artist. My hope is that those viewing the works here will gain a sense of inspiration and hope from seeing them, as I have gained inspiration and hope in making them.

Biography

Derrick R. Kearney - 43 - Clearwater, FL

Born in New Jersey, Derrick R. Kearney grew up in the small town of Palatka, Florida, in the 1980s. The Baptist church next to his childhood home nourished his passion for entertainment--it was the place where he would bring his tuba to practice between choir rehearsals. As comfortable on stage holding a microphone as he was holding a pencil, Kearney's musical and theatrical talents carried on to Jacksonville University where his technical and digital savvy led him to live television working as a video editor and later a news producer.

A series of events encouraged Kearney to transition his talent to canvas, documenting with vivid color, as if painting with words, both the highest of joys and the most traumatic of pains experienced during that time. Inspired by his creative adaptations, he expanded his passion for paint and its different delivery styles. His current collection, "Shamanic Innovations," reflects his growing mastery of fluid abstract art.

For Kearney, his craft is a life-changing journey, one which allows him to express himself in ways he had never dreamed. His influences include Miles Davis, Jim Carey, and George W. Bush. As Kearney explains, "Those three men, in particular, are known for wildly different things, but they each decided at some point to use colors to express what was in their minds." The list of those who inspired Kearney's work also includes traditional artists like Picasso, Pollock, and Dali, artist Julie Cutts of Australia, late castle builder Howard Solomon, and a wide range of African and Native American artists. Kearney also cites his time spent in the 90s rave scene, his participation in plant medicine ceremonies, Daoist teachings, and listening to Prince as important artistic influences.

TL;DR Version Below -
I am a multifaceted artist and digital content creator. A series of events encouraged me to take to canvas, documenting with vivid color, as if painting with words, both the highest of joys and the most traumatic of pains experienced during my lifetime. My current collection, "Shamanic Innovations," reflects my growing mastery of fluid abstract painting. This life-changing journey allows me to express myself in ways I only dreamed of before.

Exhibition History (CV)