TO the untrained eye, you would never guess that Derrick Fielding only picked up a paintbrush two years ago.
His paintings of local buildings and historical architecture are packed with the finest details, often accompanied with a touch of nostalgia.
Derrick, 40, was born in Walton, Liverpool, and has recently settled in Lord Street, Burscough, with his fiance, Katie, and labrador, Mavis. He has always been interested in art, leaving school to embark on a career in the graphic profession as a signwriter.
"I'm a self-taught watercolour artist. I've never studied art but I've always been creative. I've painted all my life, but I've always used ink as I wasn't comfortable with the idea of using watercolours.
"I picked up a paintbrush two years ago and I don't understand why I'd never done it before because it is such a comfortable medium to work with."
Derrick has only lived in Burscough for 12 months, but has already painted numerous scenes from the local area including Church Street, Ormskirk; Churchtown, Southport and Lathom Chapel, near Burscough.
"My main interest is in urban landscapes. When I lived in Liverpool I liked painting the local historical buildings. I like researching the streets pre-1970 and painting them how they were then.
"Moving to Burscough, I've been influenced by the local area and I'm going to do a painting of the main street, similar to the snowy Church Street scene, for a greeting card."
Derrick's style is very distinctive: "Someone told me that they are almost like caricatures of the buildings. I like the idea of making the paintings fun and different in this way and because there are no restrictions, I can. "
Derrick does a lot of commission work and receives a variety of requests: "I painted Lathom Chapel which was used last year for a greeting card. I've also painted a scene of a tram from 1950s Woolton, Liverpool, for a man who was really into his old transport.
"The paintings can take up to a week to complete, or more. It just depends on how big or how much detail I have to put in to them. But I like to take my time and get it right."
For Derrick, something that started out as a hobby has now turned into a profession, and he has aquired clients such as Radio Merseyside presenters Billy Butler and Frankie Connor, TV writer Jimmy McGovern, childrens' author Brian Jacques and also relatives of Ken Dodd and the late John Lennon.
"I have a real enthusiasm for painting. It's not often that you get to do a job you enjoy, and when I see the reaction that I get from a finished piece, that's kind of my motivation for painting, because I want to do my best and I want my client to like it."
If you would like to see Derrick's work up close, he will be exhibiting at the Wirral Show, New Brighton Promenade, Wirral on July 9 and 10 from 10.30am to 6pm. For more details contact Derrick on 01704 894583.
