Darryl was born at Carp River, March 13, 1951 in the beautiful upper peninsula of northern Michigan. He is a member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa and Ottawa Indians. His native name is Medidegwe Anamosh which literally translates to 'the sound a dog makes' or Barking Dog. His earliest training in art came from other family members. Throughout his younger years, Darryl painted on boxes, driftwood, bones, and leather. His fondness for three-dimensional art still remains and his early work still hangs in the homes of his childhood friends and on their coffee tables. 

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Darryl's style of art and his unique "one of a kind" pieces gained early recognition after he was invited to display his work at the Detroit Institute of Art in 1970. He eventually declined the invitation and walked away from this opportunity and most of his art from that time period became lost with no photographs. For many years Darryl's paintings were untitled and carried no signature as he believed his style was his signature. 

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Although Darryl lacked any real formal art education, he was privately tutored in portrait art by the internationally famous, Jean Claude Serre. Serre graduated from the Academy of Art in Dusseldorf Germany and from the Academy of Art in Brussels. Serre told Darryl that he (Darryl) was the artist and that he (Serre) was only a painter because he could teach what he knew, but Darryl had his own style, something that few artists ever achieve. 

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Basically self-taught, Darryl realized early that a particular style was more important than technique, that the creative experience was more rewarding than the process. Darryl's attention to art is very aesthetic and deeply personal. His paintings, to some extent, were never created to "sell." He calls his art, native pointillism and modern primitive. The juxtapose color is submerged and seamed with dots, each painting is a flood of light and mystic purity. His paintings make no attempt to idealize the fixated images of the American Indian or the mechanical stencil-like quality of most classical paintings. 

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Darryl is a published poet, creative writer, public speaker, and storyteller. His career profession was in advertising, graphic design, publishing, and special events marketing. He currently serves as the spiritual Ogema (chief) for the Mackinac Straits Indians. He is an environmental activist and remains in demand for speaking at Earth Day celebrations and gatherings including ceremonies and traditional native sun dance. 

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He attracted the statewide attention of Governor Granholm at the 2005 U.P. State Fair for his work on the World Peace Project. Soon after he gained national recognition for his painting titled, Indian Country by the National Congress of Americans Indians. He was also a finalist for the 2002 Poet of the Year by the International Society of Poets and was the featured artist at Lake State University in 2006. In 2007, Darryl was nominated for the Michigan Artist of the Year Award.

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Trying to pinpoint Darryl's genuine gift as an artist is not always easy, in addition to painting on canvas, his shamanic art form includes working with natural materials to create outdoor medicine wheels and trail markers.

 

Darryl enjoys helping others promote their talents in the arts. His most recent endeavor is teaching his style in Austria and Germany where he introduced the CIRCUMPUNCT through Alchemy of Art Workshops that reflect the spiritual ceremony of his artistic process.

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Whether it is painting on canvas or clothing, working with feathers, or organizing a large-scale community art workshop, Darryl Brown is an artist who knows no boundary and seeks to create wherever his spirit may lead him.