Today we’d like to introduce you to Robert Derrick.
Hi Robert, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Hello. I am a visual artist from the Caribbean—born in Dominica, raised in Antigua, and shaped by those early island experiences. The Caribbean has always been my creative anchor: its histories, textures, and social realities continue to inform how I think about image‑making and storytelling.
After emigrating to New York in the mid‑1980s, I continued developing my visual language through graphic design, printmaking, and textile work. Over the years, my practice expanded across painting, hand‑pulled prints, and design, and more recently into sculptural exploration. While life led me down many paths, art was always present—sometimes quietly in sketchbooks, sometimes fully realized in the studio.
As I enter this next chapter of my life, I’m focused on bringing long‑held ideas into the world. My goal is to create work that is uplifting, reflective, and deeply connected to shared human experience.
At the moment, I’m immersed in a body of work titled Small Change.
This series transforms small‑denomination coins—primarily from the Caribbean—into a visual meditation on memory, migration, and social history. In an era dominated by digital transactions and cryptocurrency, coins are slowly becoming obsolete. Yet these objects once carried stories, labor, and movement across borders. By reworking them, I’m honoring both their physical resilience and the life experiences they represent.
Each piece reimagines existing coin imagery to reflect my own experiences and broader social narratives. The series serves as a reminder that even things considered outdated—whether currency or memory—still hold meaning and value.
My goal is to complete 25 works in this series and exhibit them throughout Caribbean nations over the next few years, bringing the work back to the places that inspired it.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Like most creative journeys, it hasn’t been easy or linear. There were long periods when making art was not at the center of my life because I was dedicated to teaching Technology and Engineering. I mentored a robotics team for 15 years taking students all over the country for regional and national competitions. My studio practice took a back seat, but with it meant rediscovering my creative voice again and again. I found that engineering concepts slowly seeped into my art and reignited my creative voice.
One of the things that helped me prioritize my vision as an artist is my Buddhist practice which plays a major role in teaching me how to face obstacles without being defined by them. Over time, I learned to see the difficulties in my life, not as interruptions, but as part of the creative rhythm.
Today, the challenge is a positive one—embracing transition. I’m excited to step more fully into the art world, reconnect with the creative community, and allow my practice to expand without limitation.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I consider myself a visual artist exploring Afro‑Caribbean themes through multiple mediums. My background in graphic and textile design strongly influences my approach to composition, pattern, and symbolism.
Living in Kenya for a year in the late 1980s and working with community‑based textile initiatives in Harlem were pivotal experiences that grounded my appreciation for material culture and collective storytelling. These experiences continue to shape how I think about art as both personal expression and social dialogue.
My work spans oil and acrylic painting, screen and woodcut printing, and emerging sculptural forms. With Small Change, I’m especially interested in the idea of currency as a metaphor—its durability, its movement, and its relationship to power and survival. By altering familiar coin imagery, I’m reframing history through a personal and Caribbean lens, infusing the work with stories shared by friends, family, and community.
Who else deserves credit in your story?
My soulmate, Ana, whose unwavering support has made this journey possible.
My art teachers and mentors—Mitchi Itami, Emanoel Araújo, and Kerris Wolsky—who helped shape my artistic foundation and encouraged me to trust my voice.
The Mighty Mechanical Mustangs Robotics Team alumni at McArthur High School, whose creativity and resilience continually inspired me.
And my eternal mentor, Daisaku Ikeda, whose philosophy and guidance have deeply influenced how I approach art, life, and human connection.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @rderrickdesign
- Facebook: Robert Derrick
Image Credits
Daniel Marosi
Andrea Johnson
Cathy Williams
