Dick Duerrstein began drawing from a very young age and was always passionate about what was then a hobby; he often recalls that when he was a child, his “mother’s shopping list always included a note to buy [him] another ream of white paper to draw on.” Duerrstein eventually studied at the Art Center College of Design in California and soon after his graduation he was hire by the Walt Disney Company, eventually becoming the Creative Director for the Consumer Products Division. His time at the Walt Disney Company gave him the opportunity to work alongside such notable artists as Ward Kimball and Chuck Jones. After working there for more than two decades, Duerrstein left to work with Disney Fine Art, where he appreciates the opportunity to draw and paint “characters in more artistic ways.” Despite early struggles to find a commercial market for this art, he is now one of the most collected painters within Disney Fine Art.