S6, Ep 135: Derek DeYoung Returns
In this episode of The Articulate Fly, host Marvin Cash welcomes back artist Derek DeYoung, who shares his latest passion for wildlife photography and details about his new gallery in Livingston, Montana. Derek discusses the challenges and rewards of capturing wildlife through the lens, highlighting his focus on owls and bears. He reflects on the technical learning curve and the substantial investment required to achieve professional-level results.
Listeners gain insight into Derek's artistic journey, from his established career in painting to his burgeoning interest in photography. Derek candidly talks about the patience and dedication needed to capture the perfect shot, drawing parallels between his painting and photography processes. He also shares stories of his fishing adventures, including a memorable trip to Alaska and his plans to explore Patagonia.
The conversation delves into Derek's transition back to Montana, where he has opened a gallery that blends fine art with a welcoming atmosphere. Derek emphasizes the importance of creating an inviting space where visitors can enjoy art without pressure to purchase, aiming to foster a genuine connection with his audience.
As the episode wraps up, Marvin and Derek discuss future projects and collaborations, with Derek hinting at upcoming shows and events at the gallery. Listeners are encouraged to follow Derek's artistic endeavors and explore his latest works both in painting and photography.
Thanks to TroutRoutes for sponsoring this episode. Use artfly20 to get 20% off of your TroutRoutes Pro membership.
Listen to Our First Interview with Derek
All Things Social Media
Follow Derek on Facebook and Instagram.
Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.
Support the Show
Subscribe to the Podcast
Subscribe to the podcast in the podcatcher of your choice.
Advertise on the Podcast
Is our community a good fit for your brand? Advertise with us.
In the Industry and Need Help Getting Unstuck?
Check out our consulting options!
Helpful Episode Chapters
00:00 Introduction
02:02 Derek's Wildlife Photography Journey
09:10 Blending Painting and Photography
14:25 The Patience of Wildlife Photography
19:19 Equipment Recommendations
26:57 Fishing Adventures
33:00 Moving Back to Montana
38:04 Building the Gallery
43:25 Grand Opening Plans
49:11 Future Gallery Events
56:29 Following Derek's Adventures
00:00 - Introduction
02:02 - Derek's Wildlife Photography Journey
09:10 - Blending Painting and Photography
14:25 - The Patience of Wildlife Photography
19:19 - Equipment Recommendations
26:57 - Fishing Adventures
33:00 - Moving Back to Montana
38:04 - Building the Gallery
43:25 - Grand Opening Plans
49:11 - Future Gallery Events
56:29 - Following Derek's Adventures
Marvin Cash
Hey, folks, it's Marvin Cash, the host of the Articulate Fly.
Marvin Cash
On this episode, Derek DeYoung returns to the podcast.
Marvin Cash
Derek discusses his new artistic interest, wildlife photography, and shares all the details of his new gallery in Livingston, Montana.
Marvin Cash
I think you're really going to enjoy this one, but before we get to the interview, just a couple of housekeeping items.
Marvin Cash
If you like the podcast, please tell a friend and please subscribe and leave us a rating and review in the podcaster of your choice.
Marvin Cash
It really helps us out and a shout out to our sponsor, Trout Routes.
Marvin Cash
I've known Zach and the team at Trout Routes almost before Zach had a team at Trout Routes.
Marvin Cash
We all know streams are getting crowded, and chances are you're not the only one at your local access point.
Marvin Cash
Get away from the crowds and busy gravel lots by using Trout Routes Pro.
Marvin Cash
With over 350,000 access points mapped across 50,000 trout streams and much more, Trout Routes has all the data you need to help you find angling opportunities that others will overlook.
Marvin Cash
Up your game and download the app today.
Marvin Cash
Use code artfly20, art fly20 all one word for 20% off of your Trout Routes Pro membership at maps troutroutes.com now, on to our interview.
Marvin Cash
Well, Derek, welcome back to the Articulate Fly.
Derek DeYoung
Absolutely.
Derek DeYoung
Thanks for having me.
Marvin Cash
Yeah, I'm looking forward to it.
Marvin Cash
I've been watching you on Instagram and, you know, found out that you moved and that you're working on your gallery.
Marvin Cash
But before we get to that, it's been about five years.
Marvin Cash
I was really kind of shocked when I went back and looked at the archive since we last spoke, and I was kind of curious.
Marvin Cash
I know you're always tinkering and playing with stuff.
Marvin Cash
Any new series or media you're playing with or any kind of artistic experiments you want to talk about.
Derek DeYoung
Well, yeah, absolutely.
Derek DeYoung
Always something new.
Derek DeYoung
I think part of being an artist, most of us are pretty ADD and you know, we get bored pretty easily doing the same thing every day.
Derek DeYoung
So what I've been working on for the last four, four plus years is becoming a decent wildlife photographer.
Derek DeYoung
There's so much more to it than I ever understood.
Derek DeYoung
And I.
Derek DeYoung
And honestly, at this point, I have so much more respect for the guys that get out there and like, get the most amazing stuff because, you know, I grew up in the woods hunting with my dad, fishing on the water constantly.
Derek DeYoung
You know, that's what my whole life was about as a kid.
Derek DeYoung
And like, the animal part isn't that.
Derek DeYoung
I mean, I definitely have had to learn a lot.
Derek DeYoung
Don't you know, I'm not trying to say I had it all figured out, but it.
Derek DeYoung
You know, the technical part was what was really hard for me.
Derek DeYoung
And Janelle has had to step in.
Derek DeYoung
And, I mean, gosh, to even be at all competitive, I've had to Invest.
Derek DeYoung
I'm probably 60 grand in just in computers and cameras and lenses.
Derek DeYoung
And, I mean, it is.
Derek DeYoung
It's an unbelievable investment, but, I mean, it's like a rabbit hole.
Derek DeYoung
Once you start going down it and you really want the results, it's like, okay, what do I have to do next to, like, get there?
Derek DeYoung
And one thing after another.
Derek DeYoung
And at this point, it's just a very expensive hobby for me.
Derek DeYoung
But we've opened.
Derek DeYoung
We've officially opened up the gallery, and it's 50% wildlife photography.
Derek DeYoung
So although, you know, I've been working as a painter Since I was 23 and graduated art school, I've gone 50% of photography on this one, and I'm stoked.
Derek DeYoung
And it's all hung.
Derek DeYoung
The whole show is ready, and I feel like the photography is absolutely on par with the paintings.
Derek DeYoung
So I feel really good about what I've come up with.
Marvin Cash
Yeah, I mean, it's amazing.
Marvin Cash
I mean, I've been watching your Instagram feed, and I mean, the.
Marvin Cash
And it seems like also, too, you really are interested in Raptors.
Marvin Cash
But, you know, everything that I see in your Instagram feed, you know, it wouldn't surprise me to see it in National Geographic or Audubon.
Marvin Cash
Right.
Derek DeYoung
Well, I appreciate you saying that.
Derek DeYoung
And that's, you know, I've got a long way to go before I even step into that arena.
Derek DeYoung
But I do have my own perspective, which in painting and in.
Derek DeYoung
In any type of art, you know, perspective is everything.
Derek DeYoung
How can you kind of develop what.
Derek DeYoung
What's your perspective?
Derek DeYoung
And.
Derek DeYoung
And we had.
Derek DeYoung
We've been opening the gallery now for the last several days, like, all day long.
Derek DeYoung
And the other day, this woman walks in, even a group of women, and she says, well, I don't like fish, so what else you got?
Derek DeYoung
And I'm like, I mean, I don't know what to tell you.
Derek DeYoung
I've just spent the last 20 some years painting fish.
Derek DeYoung
So.
Derek DeYoung
But I.
Derek DeYoung
My photography is not about fish.
Derek DeYoung
So if you like photography and, you know, the gallery is based totally on owls and bears, and you get caught.
Derek DeYoung
I mean, once you open the gallery, you get called out.
Derek DeYoung
That's just part of it.
Derek DeYoung
And especially if it's like your namesake gallery, people are like, what's up with all the owls and bears?
Derek DeYoung
Can you not find any other animals?
Derek DeYoung
No, I see other animals, but you don't.
Derek DeYoung
To get pro level images and really figure it out, you do have to really focus on something.
Derek DeYoung
And for me, that's always been the case.
Derek DeYoung
I don't have so much talent that I can be great at everything.
Derek DeYoung
I realize I got to focus on something and really put all my time into it.
Derek DeYoung
And I'd be embarrassed to tell you how much time I have into my photography, but you know, there's taking a photo of a wild animal and then there's going there for, you know, 18 times over the course of a couple months and finally seeing him catch something or finally seeing something crazy, a beautiful light, just getting better and better at capturing that animal.
Derek DeYoung
And what's weird too is like as much as, I mean, I'm highly aware of bothering an animal by me going out and photographing it, they kind of get to a point with you.
Derek DeYoung
I mean, I don't go all the time and I have lots and lots of spots so I try to alternate so I don't mess anything up.
Derek DeYoung
But they get to a point where they like, I'm positive they recognize me and they're like, oh, it's that guy, he's fine.
Derek DeYoung
They don't like fly away.
Derek DeYoung
They don't, you know, like we, we all start to recognize each other and it's just kind of funny.
Derek DeYoung
But you know, the, the gig.
Derek DeYoung
Painting fish.
Derek DeYoung
All these years, I always said best job in the world because research means what Being on the water, fly fishing, getting to experience all the things that, you know, all of us love and to change it up and add wildlife photography.
Derek DeYoung
I love being in the woods.
Derek DeYoung
I always have loved it.
Derek DeYoung
It's a very solitary thing for me and I've, I thank my dad like every time I'm out there for teaching me to be comfortable by myself out in the woods and just understanding, you know, you know, I was freaked out just like anyone like going out and wandering through the woods when I was a kid.
Derek DeYoung
But I did it so much that now I, that's.
Derek DeYoung
I have to do it and I just love doing it.
Derek DeYoung
And wildlife photography brings me out there.
Derek DeYoung
And the other thing is I don't just like hike right through a patch of woods.
Derek DeYoung
I'm out there with like a very, you know, intricate, specific goal in mind.
Derek DeYoung
So I'm not just like flying through.
Derek DeYoung
I'm, I'm really observing and I just find it's.
Derek DeYoung
If I'm looking for an owl or a bear or whatever, I like really notice other Things.
Derek DeYoung
And I really appreciate nature in a deeper sense than I ever did, you know, since I started doing this photography.
Marvin Cash
Yeah, that's really neat.
Marvin Cash
And, you know, you're talking about goals and I know how deliberate you are.
Marvin Cash
Kind of, we'll just say in the fish world, you know, what did you bring kind of from a composition and design and kind of, you know, the shots that you wanted to get.
Marvin Cash
What did you bring kind of from your fishing background into your wildlife photography?
Derek DeYoung
Well, good question.
Derek DeYoung
And it's, you know, that it would.
Derek DeYoung
I would have to bring those things, right, because it's, it's kind of who I am, how I picture things.
Derek DeYoung
And yeah, I do share some of the same goals with my photography, you know, as I do with composing, like a painting.
Derek DeYoung
It's been funny, though, with a gallery, like, I was really worried coming up to opening our doors that, like, you know, the, like, biggest fail for me would be that.
Derek DeYoung
That I just did this for myself.
Derek DeYoung
And I really didn't get, you know, to the, to the quality level with my photography that like, that I was competitive, you know what I mean?
Derek DeYoung
It's kind of a midlife endeavor.
Derek DeYoung
So been doing the painting for a long time.
Derek DeYoung
I'm pretty confident with what I'm doing and what people like.
Derek DeYoung
But so far it has been, I don't know, 50, 50 as far as what people are interested in, the photography versus the fish paintings.
Derek DeYoung
And I've been really, really happy about that.
Derek DeYoung
That's made me very, very happy because there are so many.
Derek DeYoung
You know, it's been five years I've been working on this, and all my friends and family have been just so encouraging to have me, like, you know, launch my photography.
Derek DeYoung
And I'm like, I'm not there.
Derek DeYoung
Oh, come on, you're.
Derek DeYoung
No, I'm not there.
Derek DeYoung
Like, I'm you.
Derek DeYoung
I'm glad you think that.
Derek DeYoung
It makes me very happy, but I personally don't think I am.
Derek DeYoung
And until I feel that way, I'm not going to launch my wildlife photography as far as for sale.
Derek DeYoung
And I don't know, you know, what do you think?
Derek DeYoung
If you're already an established artist and you come out with subpar art in a different genre, you know, that's a little bit.
Derek DeYoung
I don't know.
Derek DeYoung
I was really hesitant to do that.
Derek DeYoung
And so I was.
Derek DeYoung
I wanted to make damn sure that I was ready.
Marvin Cash
Yeah, it's really kind of interesting, right, because it's almost like you're running the race not against the clock, but against yourself.
Marvin Cash
Right.
Derek DeYoung
You know, I just would never Want someone to come in and say, okay, get a little of this guy.
Derek DeYoung
He, you know, he thinks because he's a great painter.
Derek DeYoung
Not saying that I am, but he hoped, if you think I am.
Derek DeYoung
Thank you, but.
Derek DeYoung
And now he expects us to buy his photography.
Derek DeYoung
I want it to be that my photography wins you over, you know, and is.
Derek DeYoung
And is good enough to do that.
Derek DeYoung
And I think that until I felt like I was there, I just couldn't.
Derek DeYoung
I couldn't, like, push forward.
Derek DeYoung
So, I mean, it's been kind of a thing.
Derek DeYoung
Like, there's a lot of people that are in my inner circle are just shaking their head, going, when are you going to do this?
Derek DeYoung
Because they know how much time and effort and money I've put into it.
Derek DeYoung
And I'm like, it'll.
Derek DeYoung
It'll happen.
Derek DeYoung
But I need to develop the whole, you know, portfolio and feel comfortable with it where I can stand behind it.
Derek DeYoung
You know, you start.
Derek DeYoung
You start off with hard drives full of, you know, bird butts and grizzly bear butts, because you go charging in there, and they leave, and you pull up and take a picture of them as they leave, you know what I mean?
Derek DeYoung
And you slowly realize, like, okay, that has no value whatsoever.
Derek DeYoung
I've got to figure out how to approach this situation where I don't spook them or how do I know they're there before they spooky.
Derek DeYoung
And that's been the, you know, a big part of the challenge.
Derek DeYoung
And.
Derek DeYoung
And then, you know, starting to actually photograph them doing their natural thing, which, I mean, I.
Derek DeYoung
I just don't think that comes naturally, even to people who grew up in the woods, because we're just used to just moving.
Derek DeYoung
You know, it's like.
Derek DeYoung
And your movement pushes birds.
Derek DeYoung
You know, if you just come trompsing through a forest, you're just kind of, you know, if you were seeing it from above, you would just see all the birds just part.
Derek DeYoung
Like a school of minnows with a tarpon swimming through it.
Derek DeYoung
That's just how it happens.
Marvin Cash
Yeah.
Marvin Cash
I don't think people appreciate that, you know, when they see a picture on the wall, like, how many hours it took to be in the spot to take the shot, to then get the shot.
Derek DeYoung
And what's really kind of interesting about it is that I was.
Derek DeYoung
I don't know.
Derek DeYoung
I didn't know what I thought about, like, how much time it's going to take me to get that shot.
Derek DeYoung
But the patience that I've had to develop has been such a gift to me, like, just being able to stop and just stand there for well over an hour waiting for something to happen.
Derek DeYoung
I've seen so many amazing things that never make it onto the camera, but those moments are in my head and I just, you know, I'm an absolute addict.
Derek DeYoung
I love being out there.
Derek DeYoung
I love sitting for a couple hours to see what I can see, like if there's an area.
Derek DeYoung
I've seen animals before and no, it's really been a gift to my life first and foremost.
Marvin Cash
Yeah, that's fantastic too.
Marvin Cash
And I, you know, I don't do photography anywhere on the scale that you do, but I do have, you know, stuff and I was kind of curious, you know, the, the photography nuts are going to want to know, kind of like, you know, what are your favorite camera bodies and lenses?
Marvin Cash
You want to share those with folks?
Derek DeYoung
I can, but let me just get this out of the way.
Derek DeYoung
I'm not a technical guy at all.
Derek DeYoung
And you know, I've kind of asked around and what should I get.
Derek DeYoung
And I have ended at a very specific spot that I'd feel comfortable advising people, you know, on how to spend their hard earned money because I've wasted a ton of money.
Derek DeYoung
And the, the kit that I would recommend if, if you're out there and you're wanting to like step it up to a pro level kit, would be to go ahead and get the Sony A1.
Derek DeYoung
I'm, I'm sure they've got like the new A1 or whatever version, but I've got the older one and I bought it used off a website online.
Derek DeYoung
And the one to 400G master, that's the one.
Derek DeYoung
I, I bought the two to six.
Derek DeYoung
It's super heavy.
Derek DeYoung
Way harder to like hike or be on my bike.
Derek DeYoung
I do a lot of photography off my bike and what I found too is like that extra focal length or extra zoom, you know, as much as you think right away, oh, I need to zoom in.
Derek DeYoung
You'd be better off sneaking in on that animal a little bit more.
Derek DeYoung
And even if you blow some chances at one to 400, it's just a little bit better quality lens.
Derek DeYoung
And so your results at the end of the day, once you get the right thing, you know, the right situation, you'll have a million shots.
Derek DeYoung
You know, it takes 30 shots a second.
Derek DeYoung
So I, I advise you to go with the shorter zoom and get the one to 400.
Derek DeYoung
Before that I shot Canon and I always liked it and some of my friends shoot Nikon.
Derek DeYoung
I don't think it could go wrong right now because everybody's super highly competitive.
Derek DeYoung
But that's what I use is the Sony A1.
Marvin Cash
Yeah, it's interesting too, because looking at like the photos that you post on Instagram, I mean to your point, like the, to be able to see the fibers and the feathers and those like really like, I think you've, I'm thinking of a picture.
Marvin Cash
I believe it's a barred owl and it's just phenomenal, just the, the detail and the feathers.
Derek DeYoung
Well, and two, I, I will rent lenses.
Derek DeYoung
There's lenses that cost 13,000 bucks and trust me, I'd love to just drop in and buy one, but it's just not responsible when I just bought a gallery.
Derek DeYoung
So I rent them for a week and every single day I get up before light and go out for a couple hours and have dinner and then take off and do the last hour and a half of light and until dark, it's like, I, you know, it's like 70 bucks a day to have that lens and you gotta do it for a week.
Derek DeYoung
But it's like the results are amazing.
Derek DeYoung
It's, it truly is that much better than, than the lenses that I own.
Derek DeYoung
So that's another thing I'll do.
Marvin Cash
Interesting.
Marvin Cash
And so should folks expect to see kind of in the coming years some of your photography, you know, kind of like you've done with your art, you're going to find it in kind of different products and different collaborations or is it just going to be, you know, standalone, you know, prints and originals in the gallery?
Derek DeYoung
I haven't, you know, thought about that or.
Derek DeYoung
That's not something I'm wanting to seek out.
Derek DeYoung
You know, I don't know what's going to happen with the photography.
Derek DeYoung
Nothing needs to happen for it still to be like an amazing way to spend my time.
Derek DeYoung
You know what I mean?
Derek DeYoung
And that's the most important thing and I, I love to share it with people and I've.
Derek DeYoung
For years, you know, back when I was kind of still developing it, I was so frustrated with my results.
Derek DeYoung
I, I knew the animals, I knew the woods and I was comfortable with that.
Derek DeYoung
I wasn't very good with the cameras and the computer and that was, you know, it's kind of need that to get a good photo.
Derek DeYoung
And so, you know, you, you just gotta figure it out, you know, and not bought the wrong lenses, never rented them and borrowed them.
Derek DeYoung
And you know, just very little nuances are what it's all about as far as getting the really crisp, like pro level stuff, especially with flying birds.
Marvin Cash
Yeah, it's interesting because, I mean I'm, I'M a little bit older than you.
Marvin Cash
So like I remember like when I was a kid and had like my first Canon camera, you know, you would, you were shooting film, right?
Marvin Cash
And you'd take the pictures and you know, I didn't have a dark room, so you know, when I took slide slides because it was cheaper, right.
Marvin Cash
And you know, you take the pictures and you didn't know.
Marvin Cash
And it's like it was always amazing.
Marvin Cash
I think when.
Marvin Cash
I think it might have been when my second son was born, I got my first digital SLR and I was just blown away at how quickly you could progress because you just didn't care.
Marvin Cash
You go shoot a card full of stuff and come home and delete 95% of it.
Marvin Cash
Right.
Derek DeYoung
It is crazy.
Derek DeYoung
Yeah, just like the trial and error.
Derek DeYoung
You can look and see your mistakes quick.
Derek DeYoung
But you know, although I am a little bit younger than you, I, I minored in photography in art school and to that point it was all film in darkroom.
Derek DeYoung
It wasn't until I got out of art school and started as a painter that I bought my first digital.
Derek DeYoung
And I mean at that point everyone was like, the fad's going to pass.
Derek DeYoung
It's not, it's not sticking with us.
Derek DeYoung
And I had spent a bunch of money on a Canon film camera because I was like, no way, I can't.
Derek DeYoung
Like in my mind at that point, I couldn't fathom how you could digitalize the process of taking a photo because I understood the way the mechanics of the camera and the film worked and I just couldn't imagine that a digital version could even compete.
Derek DeYoung
But I was wrong.
Marvin Cash
Yeah, we've got a terrific camera shop here in Charlotte that is still that kind of mecca.
Marvin Cash
But yeah, I mean, I, you know, at this point, I don't know, I think you'd have to like bark at the moon and rub your tummy three times to be able to give them a roll of film to process rips.
Derek DeYoung
They will.
Derek DeYoung
I mean, I think it's come back in a big way, you know, the whole film thing.
Derek DeYoung
But like you say, it's when you're used to just having immediate gratification and I mean, the prints that I've got at the gallery, I mean, it's one thing to take photos and just, you know, shoot for as good of, of a photo and just close to perfection as you can on a Big Mac screen, but when you actually get a 60 inch print on the wall, that's when you're like, okay, I know like the feeling of that photo really comes through and is it a little over or underexposed or what's the feeling of the colors and it, you know, and now, now that I've been doing that for a while in printing, when I'm out, you know, on a photo shoot, I'm thinking about, oh, like, I need more light.
Derek DeYoung
I need to, like, you know, get a little bit more light here.
Derek DeYoung
Or I'm thinking about the photos that I have printed and they do make me a little bit better or they at least make me make a little different choices.
Marvin Cash
Interesting.
Marvin Cash
And, you know, before we shift gears to the gallery, you know, obviously, you know, you spend a lot of time on the water.
Marvin Cash
Do you have any fishing adventures you want to share with our listeners?
Derek DeYoung
Well, I.
Derek DeYoung
My last fishing adventure was up to the knack knack river lodge or river camp.
Derek DeYoung
Excuse me.
Derek DeYoung
They'll probably shoot me for that.
Derek DeYoung
And that was an awesome adventure.
Derek DeYoung
Have you been to Alaska?
Marvin Cash
I have not, but it's kind of.
Marvin Cash
It's on my list.
Marvin Cash
I've got some other places I really want to go.
Marvin Cash
My bucket list trip is Mongolia.
Marvin Cash
But, you know, I definitely want to get to Alaska before I shuffle off my mortal coil.
Marvin Cash
So.
Derek DeYoung
So this was my fourth trip to Alaska that all of them have been fishing trips.
Derek DeYoung
And I will say, you know, I think people kind of think about the, like, oh, it's not what it was, or, you know, you can say that about anything.
Derek DeYoung
But.
Derek DeYoung
And that may be true.
Derek DeYoung
I'm not trying to say that there the fish counts haven't gone down, but it's still so significantly better than any other place I've ever fished and I've been around the world.
Derek DeYoung
You gotta go, you gotta go do Alaska.
Derek DeYoung
It's like a.
Derek DeYoung
You go in, you get a certain distance from Alaska and you're en route in.
Derek DeYoung
Every dude has camo and fly rods and, you know, you walk it through the airports and people are like, oh, where are you going?
Derek DeYoung
Well, yeah, this is my sixth trip and I want to catch this.
Derek DeYoung
And I'm hoping in.
Derek DeYoung
I mean, it's just then you get to Anchorage and everyone's going from there to, you know, out to the area they're going to fish.
Derek DeYoung
And it's.
Derek DeYoung
It's cool.
Derek DeYoung
It just is.
Derek DeYoung
It's like nothing else.
Derek DeYoung
And you got.
Derek DeYoung
You gotta go and experience it and just be a part of it.
Marvin Cash
Yeah.
Marvin Cash
And is there any kind of particular species or time of the season that you like to be out there?
Derek DeYoung
You know, I've tried some different parts of the summer and fall, but I'VE done the Kenai Peninsula and fish the Kenai, all different parts of that for silvers and rainbows and dollies.
Derek DeYoung
And then I've done three trips to Bristol Bay, two to the Sportsman's Lodge on the Quee Jack.
Derek DeYoung
And then this last one was to the Knack Knack.
Derek DeYoung
And I got my, I had a, I had a few goals.
Derek DeYoung
Do you do that when you travel, make goals that you try to fulfill?
Marvin Cash
Yeah, I do.
Marvin Cash
It's, it's part of my charm, as people say.
Derek DeYoung
So my goals in like I brought my buddy who hilariously is also named Derek.
Derek DeYoung
And everyone gets a kick out of that.
Derek DeYoung
There was no purpose in that.
Derek DeYoung
It just happened.
Derek DeYoung
But anyway, he's never been to Alaska, but we tied flies for the trip and you know, talked about a lot what we want to do.
Derek DeYoung
And he's like all into the swinging flies part, which as soon as you make up your mind, just let.
Derek DeYoung
Oh, I can't wait for that.
Derek DeYoung
Well, guess what?
Derek DeYoung
To the swinging flies doesn't really start until the salmon stop dropping eggs because the eggs are just the easy, best protein source.
Derek DeYoung
When we got there, they were still dropping eggs, so the swinging didn't really kick in.
Derek DeYoung
So we had, you know, spent a ton of time getting ready and practicing like our spay casting and tying swung fly type of patterns and.
Derek DeYoung
But that's how it works.
Derek DeYoung
So then you move on to the next thing.
Derek DeYoung
And I really wanted to get a 30 plus inch rainbow and so that now we're using like, you know, the pegged beads, which, you know, whatever.
Derek DeYoung
I, I'd rather catch it on a swung fly, but this is what's happening.
Derek DeYoung
So that's what I'm doing.
Derek DeYoung
And I think our, oh, by fourth day we did spend two days swinging flies.
Derek DeYoung
Didn't catch a thing.
Derek DeYoung
So now I'm like, put that away.
Derek DeYoung
Give me the, give me the bead.
Derek DeYoung
I'm.
Derek DeYoung
I'm gonna try to get something done.
Derek DeYoung
And we caught quite a few smaller or medium sized rainbows.
Derek DeYoung
And about the fourth day, Derek had a 37 inch rainbow to the net.
Derek DeYoung
And I'm not Derek, not me, the other Derek.
Derek DeYoung
And I mean it was the biggest rainbow I've ever seen.
Derek DeYoung
And it just blew out of the net and snapped the line and we were all like bump, you know, unconsolable.
Derek DeYoung
And like two drifts later, as luck would have it, I hooked a big one, got it up and it was 32 inches.
Derek DeYoung
Nowhere near as big as his, but still my biggest.
Derek DeYoung
And so I, I got that goal.
Derek DeYoung
So that was Exciting.
Marvin Cash
Neat.
Marvin Cash
And I know you're partial to the salt as well.
Marvin Cash
Any saltwater adventures?
Derek DeYoung
Well, this will be my first year in 12 years that I'm not going down to the Keys for we usually go for five months and sold by saltwater flats boat.
Derek DeYoung
After all, all that time using a 1999 Hughes Red Fisher.
Derek DeYoung
I had a custom carbon fiber Kevlar polling skiff made and I, you know, I just, I didn't have the whole move to Montana and galleried thing totally in mind.
Derek DeYoung
And about the time I took possession of it, this whole thing started.
Derek DeYoung
And so I sold it about a year and a half into owning it.
Derek DeYoung
And so we're not going to be down in the Keys and we're going to take a little time off of the saltwater thing, but my next trip is down to Patagonia.
Derek DeYoung
So we did that last winter and absolutely loved it.
Derek DeYoung
And so we're going to go back this winter for almost a month.
Marvin Cash
Yeah, it's a very, very neat place.
Marvin Cash
It's been a while since I've been.
Marvin Cash
But yeah, it's.
Marvin Cash
It's kind of like, you know, you literally just kind of turn the world upside down and it's like the same latitude as Montana and the people are great and the food is awesome, you know.
Derek DeYoung
Yep, you got it.
Derek DeYoung
You must have went to the same place I did because that's exactly how it was.
Derek DeYoung
And yeah, your, your fishing skills actually, you know, work there.
Derek DeYoung
Whereas when you go, you know, all my buddies from, you know, trouty areas come to the Keys and it doesn't really transfer that well to that environment.
Derek DeYoung
You know, the trout skills don't.
Derek DeYoung
But yeah, no, it's fun to go down and, and just, you know, it's, it's a lot easier fishing there.
Derek DeYoung
I'll, I'll be honest.
Derek DeYoung
You gotta work hard.
Derek DeYoung
But it's, you know, you'll.
Derek DeYoung
If you can, if you can fly fish for trout in the US you're going to do well there.
Marvin Cash
Yeah, I think the biggest thing is being able to, you know, com.
Marvin Cash
Be comfortable dealing with the wind because it's just as windy down there as it is in Montana.
Derek DeYoung
Oh, yeah, maybe more so.
Derek DeYoung
But it can be really windy in the Keys too.
Derek DeYoung
So you do get used to, you know, clicking over, you know, almost down to the shore and really ripping a cast and knowing it's going to land 12ft into the river.
Marvin Cash
Yeah, it's interesting.
Marvin Cash
I haven't done a ton of saltwater fishing.
Marvin Cash
I think the last.
Marvin Cash
Gosh, it's been probably so let's see, my youngest son is 16.
Marvin Cash
It was before he was born and we were down in Andrews fishing for bonefish.
Marvin Cash
It's just.
Marvin Cash
Well, that's actually not true.
Marvin Cash
I've done some redfishing trips.
Derek DeYoung
I love bonefish.
Derek DeYoung
I mean, you don't have to get a more prestigious, you know, permit or tarpon.
Derek DeYoung
Bonefish are so much fun because if you go to the right place, it's a target rich environment and you know, you get to actually get pretty good at it.
Marvin Cash
Yeah, it's a.
Marvin Cash
Yeah, it's a totally different game, you know, and it's kind of interesting too because, because I didn't, you know, I learned about kind of the move from Michigan back to Montana, I guess Montana 2.0 just by watching your Instagram feed.
Marvin Cash
But you know, tell us a little bit about kind of, you know, how that all came about to, you know, leave where you grew up and to go back to Montana and open a gallery.
Derek DeYoung
You know, we moved in 2015 from Montana back to Michigan and we bought a little cabin right on Lake Michigan.
Derek DeYoung
And we got just totally focused on that and learning all the fishing around there.
Derek DeYoung
The fishing was great, by the way.
Derek DeYoung
Everybody just assumes that it was a huge downgrade in fishing.
Derek DeYoung
It wasn't.
Derek DeYoung
We had world class smallmouth and carpet lake trout.
Derek DeYoung
I mean, there was so much to get into in Michigan, but right on the shore, right in front of my house.
Derek DeYoung
And as years went by, it did get discovered and you know, became more busy.
Derek DeYoung
But I mean, for, for the first like six years, there was no one there ever.
Derek DeYoung
And I mean, we caught fish up to six and a half pound smallmouth han fly right out in front of the house.
Derek DeYoung
I mean, there's not that many places you can do that.
Derek DeYoung
And I was really lucky that I bought that cat.
Derek DeYoung
I had no idea if the fishing was good in front of that cabin or not.
Derek DeYoung
I just got super lucky.
Derek DeYoung
But about three years after we moved over there, I hadn't gone back to Montana and I just all of a sudden felt like really depressed about that.
Derek DeYoung
And my wife's like, well, no problem.
Derek DeYoung
Let's go back for a month in the fall.
Derek DeYoung
That was a time period that we had a little bit of leeway on our schedule.
Derek DeYoung
So we started coming back to Livingston and just renting a fur bow and fishing and hanging out for a month.
Derek DeYoung
Maybe I do one or two paintings, but mostly I'd just be on the river every day, which was awesome.
Derek DeYoung
And just over we did that for, I don't know, six years.
Derek DeYoung
And I every Time I came back to Montana, I just started to make a plan on how to get back here as my permanent location.
Derek DeYoung
And that's nothing against Michigan.
Derek DeYoung
It's just.
Derek DeYoung
I love being in the mountains.
Derek DeYoung
It just speaks to my soul.
Derek DeYoung
And I love being on the lake, but it's just not quite.
Derek DeYoung
I'm just not that guy.
Derek DeYoung
And so we had been running a verbo right on Main street in Livingston, and we both really liked it.
Derek DeYoung
And we started looking at real estate right on Main street and started kind of visualizing what would it be like to buy a building and start a gallery.
Derek DeYoung
And so, you know, started.
Derek DeYoung
Started there and.
Derek DeYoung
And then we started actually looking and found a place that might work and so just kind of fell into place.
Marvin Cash
Very, very neat.
Marvin Cash
Tell us a little bit about just kind of the.
Marvin Cash
The layout of the space.
Derek DeYoung
Well, it was the old pawn shop and it was in need of a lot of work, and it was not like a bargain.
Derek DeYoung
You know, it's just the market these days.
Derek DeYoung
It's like, okay, this is a really awful building.
Derek DeYoung
It's going to take a ton of work to get it up to, you know, what we need and should be a biogen, but wasn't.
Derek DeYoung
And we, we made a few offers at it that reflected where we thought it was worth, and the guy told us to get lost.
Derek DeYoung
And it was probably, I don't know, four months later before we actually made another offer and made a deal.
Derek DeYoung
And from maybe the next week on, which was this was all like real early 2024, I think.
Derek DeYoung
Yeah, yeah, like January, February maybe.
Derek DeYoung
And they started just ripping stuff out of it, like the next day after we closed on it.
Derek DeYoung
So, I mean, it was all year to, you know, totally tear it down and rebuild it, but it looks absolutely amazing now.
Derek DeYoung
It's just got just enough of the original 1890s building left, but everything else is new and just really complimentary to the old school look of it.
Derek DeYoung
And yeah, I'm stoked.
Derek DeYoung
I never would have pictured that it would turn out this good.
Marvin Cash
Interesting.
Marvin Cash
And so is it gallery and studio space or is your studio somewhere else?
Derek DeYoung
I've got a studio at home, too, but my main studio is in the back of the gallery.
Derek DeYoung
It's not like in the gallery space itself.
Marvin Cash
Got it.
Marvin Cash
And I would imagine you probably did.
Marvin Cash
You have to modify the space to get it.
Marvin Cash
Get the light that you wanted in there.
Derek DeYoung
Well, we rebuilt the whole front of the building to be just more welcoming and better for a gallery.
Derek DeYoung
And then, yeah, track lighting everywhere.
Derek DeYoung
It's amazing how bright it looks when you put track lighting everywhere.
Marvin Cash
Yeah.
Marvin Cash
And I'm trying to remember, have you had a gallery like this before, or is this kind of the first kind of iteration of your gallery life?
Derek DeYoung
I kind of accidentally put a gallery into my house when we lived in Montana.
Derek DeYoung
It was Maybe.
Derek DeYoung
Maybe about 2,000 square foot new house with an unfinished basement.
Derek DeYoung
And I put my studio down there, and people started calling and wanting to come see what work I had available.
Derek DeYoung
So I put, like, one wall, and all I did was, like, put some gray carpet up and put a one track light, and people would buy artwork off.
Derek DeYoung
I honestly had no face at that would, you know, sell art and.
Derek DeYoung
But people started buying artwork off it.
Derek DeYoung
And the next thing you know, my wife has a guy coming out to put wood floors in and drywall and electric lighting.
Derek DeYoung
And I'm like, whoa, this is really happening.
Derek DeYoung
We were really, like, going to town putting this gallery in.
Derek DeYoung
It started as, like, just one room, and by the time we sold the house, I wonder what the new owner has done with it.
Derek DeYoung
Because the whole basement was a gallery.
Derek DeYoung
So it was not just, like, open to the public.
Derek DeYoung
You had to call and make an appointment.
Derek DeYoung
But a lot of times guys would come in in groups, and they would just make an appointment when they came into Livingston to, you know, go out to dinner, go to the bar.
Derek DeYoung
They'd start off at my gallery for a couple hours because, lo and behold, I had a bar in the gallery.
Derek DeYoung
And anyway, we had some great times, and we moved some art from there and.
Derek DeYoung
But it was good for me as far as what I do now with this new gallery, because, you know, I learned about all the hanging systems and just the way the lights needed to be.
Derek DeYoung
And so that was a good education.
Marvin Cash
Yeah.
Marvin Cash
And so, you know, was there any, you know, what was like, the biggest challenge or surprise building out this new space?
Derek DeYoung
It was really hard just to be patient because it took till October 1st.
Derek DeYoung
And just the way it worked, we were not allowed to even, like, you know, the general contractor called the key.
Derek DeYoung
So was that even, like, my property?
Derek DeYoung
And so we moved out here, sold a lot of stuff, gave a lot of stuff to family, really tried to whittle down our possessions, but rented a house in Bozeman.
Derek DeYoung
And, you know, we didn't have a place to live.
Derek DeYoung
Like, we didn't own a place we were going to.
Derek DeYoung
Probably the biggest challenge, now that I think of it, was that we were going to build off the back of the building.
Derek DeYoung
There's plenty of space behind this building that you could build.
Derek DeYoung
We had drawings, an architect Whole thing.
Derek DeYoung
And when push came to shove and they like submitted the drawings to the township, the quote went up by like 80%.
Derek DeYoung
And we just didn't have the money to do it.
Derek DeYoung
And it was not a big house that we were going to build, but they needed to do like any new builds in the commercial district needed, you know, two hour firewalls, sprinkler systems, all these things that like really made it a lot more expensive.
Derek DeYoung
And so we kind of called that off.
Derek DeYoung
We looked at a few houses and we ended up buying a building that was four doors down from the gallery.
Derek DeYoung
So it was already retrofitted as a home and worked perfect for us.
Derek DeYoung
So it all worked out the way it was supposed to.
Derek DeYoung
But for a couple minutes there it was like, what are we going to do?
Derek DeYoung
Where are we going to live?
Derek DeYoung
Because we really did, did not want to like, you know, live outside of town and have to commute in, like starting a gallery.
Derek DeYoung
We just.
Derek DeYoung
One of the biggest components is just being there and being open.
Marvin Cash
Yeah, interesting.
Marvin Cash
And so, you know, I know you've opened it.
Marvin Cash
I would imagine that's probably a soft opening.
Marvin Cash
Are you having a grand opening maybe like later this month or in November?
Derek DeYoung
Yep.
Derek DeYoung
We're doing the ribbon cutting ceremony which, you know, I say that I have no idea what's actually going to happen there.
Derek DeYoung
That's the Sambury Commerce has come to me and so does what's happening.
Derek DeYoung
When do you want to do it?
Derek DeYoung
And so we're going to do it during the art stroll or the holiday art stroll, which is November 22nd and it's a Friday.
Derek DeYoung
I'm really looking forward to it because this really is a culmination of so much planning and work and it'll be a special day.
Marvin Cash
Yeah, that's neat.
Marvin Cash
So that'll be, I guess the Friday before Thanksgiving.
Derek DeYoung
Yep.
Derek DeYoung
Yep.
Marvin Cash
Very cool.
Marvin Cash
Well, you know, I also know kind of from our previous conversation that, you know, you're always collaborating with, with brands and I was kind of wondering, have you put that on hold or you have some collaborations that you're working on you want to share with our listeners?
Derek DeYoung
It's not on hold necessarily.
Derek DeYoung
It's not the main, you know, thing that I'm chooing to do these days, but I'm always happy to work with, with other brands and companies to make cool products.
Derek DeYoung
I mean, it's, it's funny because, you know, we've worked really hard to develop a good portfolio of products and maybe people have given me too much credit because they come to me with all These products that they think I need to do, you know, and it's like, I can't just develop, you know, there's an extent which I can.
Derek DeYoung
If a company offers something really close to what I want and it's quality enough, that's something I can do.
Derek DeYoung
But I can't just develop, like all these random products from scratch that takes so much time and is such a.
Derek DeYoung
Maybe a big company like Patagonia or Squalor or Sims, they can do that stuff.
Derek DeYoung
It's just funny what people think.
Derek DeYoung
Like, yeah, you should make this.
Derek DeYoung
Well, I, you know, if I made it, it would.
Derek DeYoung
It.
Derek DeYoung
I'd have to put all my time into marketing it and trying to get it into stores.
Derek DeYoung
Like, that would cost so much money to make.
Derek DeYoung
But no, we've been setting up our merchandise while at the gallery and that's been kind of cool too, because we haven't just taken the, you know, formula of like, this is what a gallery is, and tried to do that.
Derek DeYoung
We've, you know, we've grown up in fly shops.
Derek DeYoung
We've been doing business with fly shops forever.
Derek DeYoung
And I guess we're a little bit more comfortable with that kind of atmosphere than just a straight gallery.
Derek DeYoung
So, yes, it's a gallery, but it also has, you know, stickers, shirts, glassware.
Derek DeYoung
I mean, all the coolest stuff that I make is a part of it.
Derek DeYoung
And then, of course, the photography.
Derek DeYoung
And then, you know, we offer all the different types of prints that, That I offer of my artwork we offer at the gallery.
Derek DeYoung
It's not just fine art and it's not just like, only come in here if you are looking to add a original to your collection.
Derek DeYoung
Like, I want everybody to come in.
Derek DeYoung
I want everyone to feel welcome.
Derek DeYoung
And, you know, a guy said to me the other day, he came in and I could tell his energy was a little off and he was like, uncomfortable, I could tell, and he was like, on.
Derek DeYoung
I'm.
Derek DeYoung
I'm just here browsing right now.
Derek DeYoung
I'll come back, probably buy something.
Derek DeYoung
I just want to.
Derek DeYoung
And I said, man, I hope you just can relax and just look at the art and know that I don't expect anything of you.
Derek DeYoung
Like, art is to be looked at and enjoyed and, you know, thought about.
Derek DeYoung
And if there comes a time when you want to buy a painting from me, I would love that.
Derek DeYoung
But by no means do I expect that.
Derek DeYoung
You know, that's what this gallery is about is, you know, exposing people to my artwork.
Derek DeYoung
And hopefully, you know, hopefully people can come in and feel comfortable and enjoy it and not feel like that weird pressure that, you know, they're expected to buy something.
Marvin Cash
Yeah.
Marvin Cash
It's interesting too, right?
Marvin Cash
Because, you know, there's the like, oh, you see it and you buy it and you may never even go to a gallery, but, you know, to have that relationship with you.
Marvin Cash
Right.
Marvin Cash
And that connection makes whatever they purchase in the gallery all that more special.
Marvin Cash
Right?
Derek DeYoung
Maybe if I have a good connection with them.
Derek DeYoung
But, I mean, the point is.
Derek DeYoung
Is what?
Derek DeYoung
You know, there was like a group of teenagers that came in and they were totally stoked and, you know, maybe they weren't quite prepared to buy their first original painting.
Derek DeYoung
I'm just kidding.
Derek DeYoung
It.
Derek DeYoung
Obviously they were not, but we just gave them some stickers and I mean, it was still a special thing.
Derek DeYoung
And, you know, 10 years from now, they're going to be running shit and they'll come buying from me.
Derek DeYoung
That's pretty cool.
Marvin Cash
Yeah.
Marvin Cash
And so I would imagine you probably, you know, you've got your grand opening in November, but, you know, have you kind of thought about kind of events or kind of programming, particularly, I guess, during kind of high tourist season that you might have in the gallery?
Derek DeYoung
We don't have any major plans, but we'll.
Derek DeYoung
We'll probably do probably three shows a year and actually, you know, do like a show night.
Derek DeYoung
And I mean, I'm a huge music lover.
Derek DeYoung
I love playing the guitar.
Derek DeYoung
I'm not good at it, but I love doing it.
Derek DeYoung
And I paint guitars and I've got guitars in the gallery and I'd love to have, like, music at the events.
Derek DeYoung
And playing the guitar in the gallery just sounds amazing because it's kind of a little bit echoey with the brick walls in the wood floors and so that, you know, definitely music will be a part of it and, yeah, it'll be fun.
Derek DeYoung
I'm really stoked.
Derek DeYoung
And I, you know, just like.
Marvin Cash
Any.
Derek DeYoung
Trip I go on, the number one thing that I think about is not fish, but people.
Derek DeYoung
And the people in Montana I love, you know, they're great people.
Derek DeYoung
So that's what draws me back here.
Derek DeYoung
Number one.
Marvin Cash
Yeah, it's definitely one of my favorite places on the planet.
Marvin Cash
I haven't been back as much maybe in the last four years as I like to, but.
Marvin Cash
Yeah, it's just.
Marvin Cash
It's amazing.
Marvin Cash
It's kind of funny.
Marvin Cash
I've got friends who are over in Ennis fishing the Madison, and, like, I get to tell them the bars and where to go and where to camp and all that kind of stuff, and it's.
Marvin Cash
It's super cool.
Marvin Cash
Right, yeah.
Marvin Cash
And they send you pictures, for the most part.
Derek DeYoung
Just stays the same.
Marvin Cash
Yeah.
Marvin Cash
And they just send you pictures like we're at the gravel bars.
Marvin Cash
Like you need to have a cold smoke and you know, tell people to eat breakfast at the pharmacy because that's the best place.
Marvin Cash
And, you know, not to be afraid of eating at the bistro, at the bowling alley, all that kind of good stuff.
Derek DeYoung
I just learned a couple of the.
Derek DeYoung
What was it?
Derek DeYoung
The.
Derek DeYoung
I don't remember if it was still called the Grizzly, but, you know, right by Ennis Lake.
Derek DeYoung
Right.
Derek DeYoung
I think that burnt to the ground.
Derek DeYoung
I was just there.
Derek DeYoung
My buddy said it burned.
Marvin Cash
Interesting.
Marvin Cash
Yeah, it's.
Marvin Cash
It's kind of funny.
Marvin Cash
I mean, I've started.
Marvin Cash
Like I.
Marvin Cash
When I first started going to Montana.
Marvin Cash
Gosh.
Marvin Cash
I mean, I'm gonna feel really old, like probably close to 20 years ago.
Marvin Cash
I used to stay in town in Bozeman and walk around and that was kind of a cool thing.
Marvin Cash
And you know, as Bozeman has gotten busier, I've kind of.
Marvin Cash
I moved to West Yellowstone and then West Yellowstone got so popular that it was impossible to get good lodging, you know, at a decent rate.
Marvin Cash
Like, I thought it was kind of crazy to have to spend 300 for a hotel room in late September.
Marvin Cash
October.
Marvin Cash
Yeah, right.
Marvin Cash
And so I started staying down in Ennis.
Marvin Cash
And you know, the great thing was I could drive up the valley every morning and miss all the kind of nuttiness getting into the park.
Marvin Cash
And so, you know, that was kind of how my love affair with the fire hole started.
Derek DeYoung
What was your favorite time to fish the fire off?
Marvin Cash
I like to fish it like, you know, probably maybe not quite this late.
Marvin Cash
I mean, the weather's changing, but literally I like to go kind of middle to late September kind of as West Yellowstone is winding down.
Marvin Cash
Right.
Marvin Cash
They're getting ready to kind of close up and take that like two month break to get snow for the snowmobilers and to be out there and to fish, you know, when it's snowing.
Marvin Cash
Right.
Marvin Cash
And you know, dude, it's nuts.
Derek DeYoung
Were there still hatches happening?
Marvin Cash
Oh, for sure.
Marvin Cash
You had the, you had the Miller Caddis and the Blue Wings.
Marvin Cash
Right.
Marvin Cash
And so you would go out there and I like to fish it above the falls and.
Marvin Cash
And one of my favorite places to go was like, if you pulled in at the Nez Perce picnic area, you could walk and then cross the river and like, you wouldn't see a saw.
Derek DeYoung
Yeah, there's always, always those little secret things like that where you can really get away from the crowds, and that's cool.
Derek DeYoung
You're not going to find a similar place to fish.
Derek DeYoung
It's very, very interesting and just beautiful.
Derek DeYoung
And did you ever end up in the middle of a herd of bison?
Marvin Cash
No, but I did have one time I was actually fishing close to the road, and my back.
Marvin Cash
Let's see if I was swinging.
Marvin Cash
I guess my back was facing upstream.
Marvin Cash
And these.
Marvin Cash
You know, every now and again, people would pull over to take your picture, Right.
Marvin Cash
But this.
Marvin Cash
This woman pulled over and she rolled down her window.
Marvin Cash
She's like, are you going to be okay?
Marvin Cash
And I literally turned around, and there were probably eight bison crossing the river that I could have literally poked with my fly rod.
Marvin Cash
And I was oblivious because I was just in the zone, you know, swinging soft tackles.
Derek DeYoung
Oh, man.
Derek DeYoung
But y'all never forget that I was on.
Derek DeYoung
I was up more towards the north part of the park, and I was fishing by myself.
Derek DeYoung
I'd hiked in quite a ways, and I heard something coming through the brush, and I.
Derek DeYoung
You know, I'm in the water, so I don't hear it real loud until it was right there.
Derek DeYoung
And I turn and look, and I.
Derek DeYoung
Cow elk breaks through the bush.
Derek DeYoung
I mean, immediately behind me.
Derek DeYoung
And I couldn't even see her body, just her.
Derek DeYoung
Her neck and head.
Derek DeYoung
And she just like, kind of sat there and watched me fish.
Derek DeYoung
Just kind of going, what.
Derek DeYoung
What are you.
Derek DeYoung
Is she going to get a drink and.
Derek DeYoung
But, you know, it's so cool to be raven there amongst the animals.
Marvin Cash
Yeah.
Marvin Cash
You know, when you were talking about kind of that magic hour of light at the end of the day, what I would usually try to do is, you know, save that time and get off the water, because, you know, as it's getting cold, you know, it's.
Marvin Cash
That cold air is pushing, you know, the bison together and the elk down.
Marvin Cash
And, you know, you just have these amazing things that you can kind of sit and watch, you know, in the last little bit of sunlight and then, you know, drive into West Yellowstone and have dinner and go home.
Derek DeYoung
Yeah.
Derek DeYoung
Yeah.
Derek DeYoung
There's definitely some magic in Yellowstone Park.
Marvin Cash
Yeah.
Marvin Cash
And so, you know, you've been pretty busy, but I would be remiss if I didn't ask you, Derek, if you have any other projects you're working on or contemplating you want to share with our listeners?
Derek DeYoung
Well, I've got several canvases on the easels that I'm.
Derek DeYoung
I'm working on, and I'm definitely got some really cool fish art that I'm.
Derek DeYoung
I'm working on brown trout But I'm also working on some owl paintings based, you know, from the inspiration from some of the photos that I've taken and just some of the things I've seen that I couldn't photograph.
Derek DeYoung
So those are coming along as well.
Marvin Cash
Very neat.
Marvin Cash
And so if folks want to, you know, follow your adventures, you know, at the easel, I guess now behind the camera, in the field and on the water, where should they go?
Derek DeYoung
Definitely Instagram, Facebook are.
Derek DeYoung
You know, I don't know if everyone does that anymore, but that's where I've posted stuff and that comes through in my, you know, on my homepage and my website, too.
Derek DeYoung
So if you're not, like, doing that, you can definitely go to Derek deyoung.com and you'll see, you know, all the latest things that I posted.
Marvin Cash
Very neat.
Marvin Cash
And I'll drop all that stuff in the show notes.
Derek DeYoung
Perfect.
Marvin Cash
Awesome.
Marvin Cash
Well, Derek, I.
Marvin Cash
I'll let you hop this evening and get another glass of wine.
Marvin Cash
I appreciate you spending some time with me.
Marvin Cash
It's been a lot of fun.
Marvin Cash
We have to get together again and not let it be five years next time, right?
Derek DeYoung
That sounds great.
Derek DeYoung
I appreciate you reaching out to me, too.
Marvin Cash
Oh, it's been neat.
Marvin Cash
Well, listen, take care.
Derek DeYoung
Yep.
Derek DeYoung
Thank you so much.
Derek DeYoung
You too.
Marvin Cash
Well, folks, we hope you enjoyed the interview as much as we enjoyed bringing it to you.
Marvin Cash
Don't forget to check out Trout routes pro@maps.troutroutes.com Use ArtFly 20 Art Fly 20 all one word to get 20% off of your membership.
Marvin Cash
Tight lines, everybody.
Follow:
