Since taking art in the ninth grade, Deidre Darby has been fascinated with the beauty of the drawings she creates.

“I did this one drawing of a girl who dressed up in ‘Day of the Dead’ makeup; I enjoy drawing stuff that is kind of on the dark side,” Darby said.

Darby creates artwork that makes one give a second glance to the realism she evokes. Not only does she use her imagination, but she makes her drawings connect to the viewers. Her friend, Allysa Lang, describes how Darby’s work connects to different people.

“She has her own style and she does her art based on her perspective,” Lang said.

Granted that Darby only became involved with art in the ninth grade, her devotion to her work is genuinely strong. Her desire for art is something that she wants to include into her career.

“Art is really what I want to do for the rest of my life, it is the only thing I am interested in,” Darby said.

She creates her own sense of style by adding realism into the mix of her imaginative artwork. She believes that it is important to create art that is extravagant, but also true to reality. The realness of the art gives her audience something to relate to.
“It is amazing how you can make art into something real. Anything can be art. It is not just with pencils, it can be with anything. You can take pure trash and make art out of it,” Darby said.

Darby creates artwork that is not only compelling, but has a deeper meaning than just a sheet of paper with color. Her art has that spark of uniqueness that makes the viewer stand in awe of her creativity.

“Art is self expression. I think it is amazing [how] we can basically create realistic things with simple everyday things you see around you. Art is my passion,” Darby said.