Funny Tree, Derek Bigard, 2023, acrylic on board, 30 x 40 in. / 76.2 x 101.6 cm.

Earth and Renewal: Paintings by Derek Bigard

April 14, 2026 Gavin Coates

Featured image: Funny Tree, Derek Bigard, 2023, acrylic on board, 30 x 40 in. / 76.2 x 101.6 cm.

Derek Bigard’s paintings Birth, Rock My World, and Salmon Eggs explore cycles of life, geological transformation, and ecological continuity through vivid landscape imagery.

Derek Bigard creates detailed acrylic landscapes that merge ecological observation with symbolic imagery exploring Earth’s cycles of life, geology, and environmental balance.

Working primarily in acrylic on masonite, Bigard combines detailed natural observation with symbolic elements that connect Earth’s physical environment to broader themes of creation and renewal. His compositions present landscapes not as passive scenery but as dynamic systems shaped by growth, erosion, and regeneration. Across these works, rock formations, water, and organic forms become visual metaphors for the ongoing processes that sustain life.

Birth, Derek Bigard, 2014, acrylic on masonite, 80 x 49 in. / 203.2 x 124.46 cm.

In Birth, Bigard presents a dramatic view inside a hollow tree trunk where twisting organic forms rise toward an opening above. At the center of the composition sits a small image of Earth, suspended within the dark interior space like a symbolic seed. The painting contrasts the rough textures of bark and wood with the fluid, flame-like forms emerging from the tree’s core. These flowing shapes evoke energy, transformation, and the generative forces of nature. By placing the planet within the interior of a living tree, Bigard frames the natural world itself as a cradle of life, suggesting that creation unfolds through the hidden processes embedded within ecosystems.

Rock My World, Derek Bigard, 2025, acrylic, 23 x 18 in. / 58.42 x 45.72 cm.

Rock My World shifts the focus to a rugged landscape of fractured boulders and icy formations. Scattered among the rocks are small spherical images of Earth, appearing as if they have settled naturally into the geological terrain. The painting emphasizes mass, texture, and spatial depth through carefully rendered rock surfaces and cool color tones. The repetition of planetary forms introduces a surreal dimension, linking the solidity of stone to the fragility of the planet itself. Through this juxtaposition, Bigard suggests that the forces shaping mountains and glaciers also shape the larger planetary environment.

Salmon Eggs, Derek Bigard, 2015, acrylic on masonite, 70 x 42 in. / 177.8 x 106.68 cm.

In Salmon Eggs, Bigard depicts a clear riverbed where smooth stones and flowing water create a richly textured environment beneath the surface. Near the bottom of the composition, a small Earth-like sphere rests among the rocks like a symbolic egg. The water reflects surrounding trees and sky, creating a layered visual field where reflections merge with the riverbed below. The painting evokes the life cycle of salmon, whose eggs develop among gravel in freshwater streams. By merging the imagery of eggs and the planet, Bigard emphasizes themes of reproduction, ecological balance, and the continuity of life within aquatic ecosystems.

Across Birth, Rock My World, and Salmon Eggs, Derek Bigard presents landscapes as environments shaped by powerful cycles of creation, transformation, and renewal. Through the recurring motif of Earth embedded within natural settings, he connects planetary scale with intimate ecological processes. Trees, rocks, and rivers become symbolic sites where life begins, evolves, and regenerates. Together, these works reflect a vision of nature as an interconnected system in which geological structures, living organisms, and planetary identity are inseparable.

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