Derk Hansen has managed to stay as elusive to the public, like some of the wildlife he so beautifully represents in his work.
If you are looking for him, you will not find this artist in the mainstream art world. A cattle drive, working young horses in the round pen or hanging out with his cowboy friends playing his guitar, is more his style. One day he might be in Africa on safari doing field work for new paintings, or you might find him working on a documentary video in the rugged mountains of New Zealand. Then again, you could find him studying bald eagles in the wilds of Alaska or researching for a humpback whale painting off the island of Hawaii.
Since 1982 Derk has joined his buddies as a stuntman and actor as they reenact the defeat of the notorious James Younger Gang by the citizens of Northfield, Minnesota. Here, Derk has left his mark by creating a seven-piece set of pencil drawings depicting this historic event of September 7th 1876. Maybe you spotted him as one of the wranglers in the Great American Cattle Drive of 1995 from Fort Worth, Texas to Miles City, Montana or bumped into him on Kodiak Island in the Gulf of Alaska preparing material for a painting of the giant brown bear native to the Island.
Back home you might find Derk at one of the major art shows where he has been recognized for his impressive work. You may also get a glimpse of him on local televisionas the sometimes sidekick to his friend R.J. Fritz on the popular TV series “Out’n About with R.J.Fritz”. Since 2005 Derk has been one of the founders of the Great American Wild West Roundup, an 1880 era festival honoring our great and colorful old west heritage, now in its fourth year. Whatever the circumstances of his appearance might be, take a good look, for he won't be there for long. He'll be off on some new adventure, looking for subjects and places to paint.
Derk is an adventurer and a dreamer, managing to do for a living what most of us can only fantasize about. He shares his experiences with us through his artwork, so vividly, that we feel that we are there too. Derk has more than 150 limited edition lithographs and collector prints plus several dozen limited edition collector plates to his credit. There are also scores of incentive and special commission art products on the market bearing his name. Thousands of collectors worldwide enjoy his work. Admirers and peers alike are always looking forward to the new projects that emanate from Derk's Saddle Tramp Studio.
Derk has received numerous awards and recognitions for his work as an artist and a humanitarian. But Derk will say “Those are only things you set on a shelf or decorate your walls with. What counts is that people like your work and it will give them a good feeling looking at what you created as an artist. That, my friend, is the greatest reward any man can get.
