Derek DeYoung

Do yourself a favor - visit canvasfish.com and see the work of this very talented young artist. We first became aware of Derek by way of his artwork on note cards for sale at McLellan's Fly Shop in Fayetteville. We aren't art critics by any stretch of the imagination, but we certainly know what we appreciate and enjoy. We were impressed by the uniqueness in presentation, the bright colors captured, and the skill in putting to canvas our favorite subjects. We framed the note card selection in a collage frame, and subsequently bought one of his 4in1 prints, both of which garner a lot of compliments from our friends. I had an idea, from perusing Derek's website, that his passion for fly-fishing was embedded in his work, and that his conservation ethic in this regard was evident. I then decided to contact him to gauge his interest in donating a print for auction at our annual Trout Unlimited fundraising banquet. He unhesitatingly obliged and has done so for the past two years and is very much appreciated. When Charlcie and I decided to embark on this journey, I sent him an email and told him that we had plans to be in the Livingston area and would like to meet him. He invited us to stop by and also offered to take us fishing! I share this story because of numerous inquiries on how we came to know Derek. We are excited to have met Derek and his wife. Although we got to only briefly visit with Janell on her way to work, Derek was so gracious to take many hours from his busy schedule to visit with us and take us fishing (more on that later). We are so impressed with not only his talent, but the fact that he is such a hospitable, down-to-earth, fun guy to be around - he's gotta be special to devote so much time to a couple of folks old enough to be his grandparents, and whom he had just met. He has made us feel as if we have known him for a long time and we hope to be able to visit him again in the near future. The original that is now the cover/feature on the current issue of The Drake magazine