Get to know the artist

About the Artist

Chad DeRuischer is a contemporary artist based in Mexico Beach, Florida, creating original seascapes and atmospheric works inspired by the quiet beauty of the Gulf Coast.

Working primarily in pan pastel, his work explores light, horizon, mood, and the emotional pull of coastal landscapes. His approach often balances simplicity and atmosphere, allowing space, contrast, and subtle shifts of color to carry much of the feeling.

His current work centers around The Forgotten Coast, an ongoing series inspired by real sunsets observed along Florida’s Gulf shoreline and reinterpreted through a daily creative practice.

Drawn to both minimalism and expression, Chad’s work is rooted in a fascination with fleeting moments—the kind often overlooked: fading light on water, distant storms at dusk, the hush that arrives just before night.

Through original works on paper and larger canvas studio pieces, he aims to create art that brings stillness, reflection, and a sense of place into the spaces people live.

Each piece is created from a desire not simply to depict the coast, but to preserve something of its atmosphere.

Chad lives and works near the water on Florida’s Forgotten Coast, where the horizon continues to shape both his practice and his perspective.