Vanity Fair

Proof that you don’t need to be a freak to be a good artist

Comments (0) By Wynter Holden Thursday, Jun 12 2008

Portrait artist Derek Wilkinson is among good company, the likes of Da Vinci, Rembrandt, and Van Gogh. Then again, Da Vinci was charged with sodomy, Rembrandt bedded his maid, and Van Gogh mutilated his own ear. Yikes.

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Luckily, it’s their work we remember, not their personal lives. “I think Rembrandt’s late self-portraits are the closest things we have to art that transcends its medium,” says Wilkinson, whose photorealistic portraits are currently on display at Shemer. “His paintings could be brought to life with a little bit of CPR.”

When this ASU grad isn’t repeatedly painting his own mug, where does he find models? Easy. He enlists his friends, some who are other creative types. “As an artist, I don't find other artists to be particularly interesting, but I can sympathize with them.” Ouch. Maybe he should ditch the boring pals and start hanging with religious cult members, mass murderers, or Da Vinci-like sodomites.

Okay, maybe not.

Tuesdays-Saturdays. Starts: May 20. Continues through June 18, 2008