You might describe Deacon much as you would a fine painting: "an original" - or, at the very least, a special edition. Originality and individualism have become underlying objectives for him, and categorizing his work seems a bit of a challenge.

A sculptor, painter and maker of masks, he has worked in traditional realism as well as technical and impressionistic styles. His subjects cover an equally broad range: horses, cowboys, jazz musicians, large and intensely colored pastoral landscapes, and small animals that wildlife artists who portray majestic game might overlook. After viewing a few of his pieces in either medium, however, you see a singular style.

Born and reared on a Kansas wheat farm, Deroy Sharp ("Deacon" is a boyhood nickname) saw farm animals and wildlife daily. He began painting and carving their images. Always knowing he wanted to be an artist, he studied fine arts at Colorado State University in Fort Collins and at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, exploring design and impressionism in depth.

For a time Deacon earned some money painting portraits of prize-winning livestock. After college, he worked for a while as a technical illustrator in the defense industry and later as a design technician for an electric utility. Deacon says he resisted his natural inclination toward impressionism because, "I thought the public was looking for something else and, you know, you kind of want to be somewhat successful," he explains. However, doing traditional realistic sculpture didn't give him personal satisfaction or prove financially lucrative.

One day, in discussing the situation with his wife, Jodi, he decided, "I'm gonna take a bold step. I'm gonna go and do what I want to do and what I was trained to do and what I am drawn to do. If it's just for ourselves, so what. We'll have art for our home."

He began by designing a few masks, instilling his work with greater stylization, and to his surprise, the masks started selling. "Not only did the public gravitate to what I was doing," Deacon recalls, "but I was freed up to do what I really enjoy."