Bio

A brief overview.

Bishop Auckland born artist Derek Siddle is a landscape painter working with oils on canvas capturing modern and historical local scenes around West London and of his home town that are often bright and optimistic.

His interest in art started at a young age but became serious in his teens when learning to draw and sketch along the River Wear and around Auckland Park. A quote by John Constable was an early inspiration for him: "I should paint my own places best"

Educated at King James 1^st School, Hartlepool College of Art and Design and then graduating from Huddersfield University in Product Design. Post University he ventured into the video games industry where he has spent three decades of his professional life creating 3D art, educating juniors and managing large teams and projects.

Within that time Derek spent 18 years working on Train Simulators where he recreated many railway locations, characters and locomotives from around the world.

His 2023 oil painting collection ‘Steaming from Past to future’, built of his knowledge of railways and focused on the North-eastern rail network of the 1950s centred at his beloved home town of Bishop Auckland, bringing back to life the old station, locomotives and long-gone scenes.

New works in progress have strong positive themes that highlight the beauty and resurgence of Bishop Auckland.

Other new scenes that show fabulous locations around Dorset coastline near Osmington and more local settings to Derek along the Thames in Chiswick, West London.