Derek Penix was born on December 29, 1980, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Penix grew up watching members of his family paint and pursued painting himself right after graduating high school. After trying his hand at painting and selling his first piece he knew this was what he wanted to do for the rest of his life.

Over the years Penix's work has changed greatly and continues to evolve with each painting. "I never want to be stuck painting only one way or only one subject matter. Variety is what is exciting.

Penix has had the opportunity to work under Quang Ho and later with C.W. Mundy. "They have helped me as an artist immensely. I am so thankful that they have been willing to feed into my life as they have."

Penix has been recognized and won awards in almost 100 national competitions since 2010. As of 2021 ArtDataIntel collected data on artists around the country and their findings found that Derek, to date, is the most awarded artist in the country. Penix paints full time and also teaches art workshops around the country. He currently lives in Southern California.

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