Mission

Sky Welkin, born Derek Simon, is an artist from Virginia who currently resides in Colorado. He attended Old Dominion University (BFA) with a concentration in Print and Photo Media (class of 2014).

While he has enjoyed the various expressive aspects photography offers, his desire for a more honest expression was yet to be satisfied. Through realizing and accepting his attraction to the environments depicted by various animators and the wit of cartoonist Bill Watterson (Calvin and Hobbes), Derek found he could express himself more creatively by drawing illustrations and cartoons. And further, the works of Dr.Seuss, Futura 2000 and Shel Silverstein prompted Sky to develop a concept and personal theme of his own.

The word, ‘welkin,’ comes from an Old English term, wolcen, which means cloud or heavenly skies. Sky extended its meaning to include a unique landscape of his state of mind: a conceptual landscape that had themes of inquiry, continuum, reason, and evolution.  Sky Welkin establishes a foundation that supports the pillars of originality, truth, and perspective.