Dean Vigyikan has been avidly interested in drawing and painting since he was a wee lad. Early photos show him smearing paint around, and he remembers spending lots of free time drawing at the kitchen table. Private lessons throughout high school galvanized the obsession and prepared him for successfully earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from RIT in Rochester, NY. Two years spent as a full-time, French-speaking missionary in Europe further added to Dean’s appreciation for old-world styles of art as he was immersed in that element and connected with those traditions.

After returning to the United States, Dean took every opportunity he could to pursue art professionally in his genres of interest, from drawing caricatures to illustrating magazine covers. He went on to earn another degree, this time in graphic design. Digital illustration and sculpture were soon added to his repertoire, and an expanding circle of artist colleagues encouraged his continuing progress as a figurative oil painter. A multidisciplinary career ensued and furthered the artist’s opportunities as an in-house illustrator and freelancer.

Fellow commercial art professionals came to recognize Dean for his ability to rapidly conceptualize powerful graphic imagery and Dean found himself exhibiting alongside painters whose work he had admired for years. As his confidence grew, he one day set out as an entrepreneur. Running an art business has provided numerous chances to work in a variety of styles. But it also marked a period of strengthening, more than ever, a foundation in traditional art techniques. Dean has enjoyed producing many commissioned fine and commercial art pieces for clients across the United States and in Canada. Customers appreciate his clean, bold illustrations and his expressive, realistic paintings and sculptures.

Dean’s artwork has been exhibited in juried shows on many levels including regional, statewide and national, and has won many awards. Among these, he’s a two-time winner in North Light Books’ international acrylic competitions. His work has also been featured in the hardcover, Art Journey Animals: A Collection of Inspiring Contemporary Masterworks, edited by Jamie Markle, published by F+W Media, and The 50 Markets of Illustration by John Roman, published by HOW Books.