Derrick Tripp Barnes is originally from Columbia, South Carolina & went to school at Savannah School of Art to study. After graduating, he moved to New York for another career and found out a love for art and painting. A few years later with some art experience under his belt, he wanted to do a mural tour in Columbia, his hometown, to give back to the community. His first mural on the mural tour started on Rosewood at the Pelicans building, where he painted James Brown. Afterwards, he reached out to local artist, Christine Lutfy, founder of Phunky Artz, and they planned the rest of the mural tour and completed pieces all over Columbia including Cotton Gin, Row Gallery (now Pink) on Millwood Ave, an elementary school off Broad River Rd., and Social Lounge in the Vista.