Dawn Derman was born and raised in South Dakota. After numerous moves throughout the Midwest, she is happily settled with her family in Larkspur, Colorado.

She is a self-taught artist working mostly in watercolor. Much of her work is inspired by her love of wildlife and the beauty of the natural world. She paints with a loose, expressive style. Dawn experiences great joy in creating, and tries to bring that sense of life and movement to her art.