Derrick Breidenthal has been painting professionally since the early 1990s.  He took his degree in painting from the University of Kansas.  

He paints in an abstract manner with hints of realism, having researched the colors and patterns over a period of ten years while living in Kansas, Colorado and surrounding states.  Each of his paintings is carefully considered prior to execution, and while a high degree of precision is employed in the process, the paintings always appear spontaneous and vigorous—which in a sense they are.  

Much of the work is a reflection of the colors Derrick observes just before or after severe weather.  Rare and dramatic, each storm and season seem to have a distinct personality.  

Private collectors nationwide own his work.  MMG Worldwide,
Zona Rosa Developers, and H&R Block figure among his corporate collectors.  The Kansas City restaurant, Café Europa, is accented by ten of Derrick's paintings, which are in the permanent collection of the restaurant's owners.