Born in Dublin, based in Southport, Derek Culley originally completed a Masters degree in marketing at Brunel University from 1992-94, concentrating on the visual arts in Britain. Prior to this, Culley was a founder member and chairman of Celtic Vision alongside Scottish painter John Bellany and the South African abstractionist Denis Bowen, with whom he exhibited in 1986-87. As a self-taught artist, Culley adopted colours like cannons of light that he vigorously applies to the painting’s surface, developing a signature style. This has led him to participate in numerous solo shows including Derek Culley Paintings, The Atkinson, Southport, 2016; Five Years of Culley, The Irish Club, London, 1996; and The Royal Hospital Kilmainham, Dublin, 1989. Group exhibitions include: the Skopje Museum of Contemporary Art, Republic of Macedonia, 1996; Modern Irish Painting, Dillon Gallery, 1995; 2000 Years Celebration, Customs House Dublin, 1991; Knapp Gallery, 1988; and The London Group tour, 1987. For Sedition, Culley presents Brushes Odyssey, a collection of six animated drawings created using the iPad for his solo exhibition in the Landing Gallery at The Atkinson, Southport, 2016. Culley was the recipient of the Pollock Krasner Foundation Award in 2006-07, New York.

Culley lives and works in Southport, UK.