Made In England

Although he might not sound it, Derek Eland is Cumbrian born and bred. He comes from good farming stock on his mother's side and has lived all over the county.

But life in the army and work in London took him away from the county for many years.

Derek getting ideas down on paper

Even when he was away from Cumbria he still painted Cumbrian landscapes. He's still inspired by the county's hills and valleys now and is a member of the Bob Graham club. The members have all run the 42 Lake District fells in the famous Bob Graham Round in 24 hours or less!

But he's also inspired by the more man-made aspects of our county, including the roads and buildings and how they sit in the landscape.

Work in progress

He's studying for an MA at the University of Cumbria and as part of this is painting huge cityscapes of Carlisle, looking at how the historic buildings sit alongside the more modern ones.

Unlike many landscape artists who aim for "pretty" pictures, Derek's are often darker. He uses a lot of grey and black in his paintings.

He recorded a short audio diary for BBC Radio Cumbria for St Georges Day in 2008 as part of the BBC's Made in England season. In it he talks about what inspires him and how he works on a day to day basis. You can hear it by clicking on the link below.