A Closer Look at our 23rd Issue Featured Artist

Perigee is pleased to feature the watercolors of Derek McCrea in our upcoming 23rd issue.

Derek is a US Army Infantry Combat Soldier with two tours in Iraq with the 3rd Infantry Division, and painting is his form of stress relief—allowing him to express emotions on paper.

Derek paints in a whimsical impressionistic style in plein air settings. He was born in Albany, Georgia in February of 1969, and currently resides with his wife, Sheila, of 20 years and their two sons. He first started painting with oils in the summer of 1984. From 1985 to 1986 he painted under the instruction of Jimmy Peterson, a well known artist from Georgia. In 1986 he won 1st place in the Georgia Arts Exhibition.

Derek joined the United States Army in 1987 and continued self study and painting on landscape subjects in France, Holland, Germany, Italy and Hungary—painting in the plein air style. He has completed over 20 commissions in the past year. His works were most recently placed in the Shoppes on Madison in historic Douglas GA, and at Artsy's on the River Street in historic Savannah Georgia.

Derek has donated several artworks to non-profit and charitable organizations in the past: February 2007 to Christian Mission Hospital for HIV children run by Joyce Meyer Ministries in India; silent auction for a baby with PWS syndrome October 25, 2008; and the Annual Benefit on October 17, 2008 with Rescue Ink out of NYC.

His website resides at www.derekmccrea.50megs.com and you can visit his blog at watercolorpaintingart.blogspot.com.