I’m Richie Deegan. I’m an artist and I’ve spent most of my life trying to make something worthwhile with the talent God gave me. I love the process and struggle of creating something that didn’t exist before. I’ve had successes and failures along the way, but I’ve never lost my love for painting. I can’t imagine my life without it.

As much as painting means to me, nothing makes me prouder than being a father to my three daughters. I’m also incredibly thankful for my wife who has loved me unconditionally through it all. I always tell my girls that one day my paintings will either make them very rich or they’ll end up with a bunch of paintings nobody’s ever heard of that remind them of their dad. Either way, I hope they’ll be glad I left them behind.

I hope someday people discover my paintings and really fall in love with them. Maybe while I’m alive or maybe centuries from now. I specifically buy archival canvases designed to last 500 years because I want to give my work every chance to outlive me. I love the thought of someone I’ll never meet finding something meaningful in a painting I made with my own hands.

What I really hope is that my paintings make someone curious about the man who created them. I hope they discover the good and the bad. A man who loved his family and friends, loved to laugh and enjoyed life. My faith has always been a part of who I am, and naturally it finds its way into my paintings. Sometimes it’s obvious and sometimes it’s hidden in plain sight. I don’t necessarily want people to see it right away. I’d rather they fall in love with the art first, then learn about the man behind it and perhaps see the paintings in a whole new light.

I don’t know if I’ll be remembered or forgotten, but I hope anyone who discovers my story will understand what mattered most to me. I believe my talent was a gift from God, and painting has been one way I’ve tried to honor Him with it. I’m a flawed man who has made plenty of mistakes, but my only hope in this life and for eternity is in Jesus Christ and what He did for me on the cross. If something I created leads even one person to seek Him, then I couldn’t ask for a greater legacy.