The disabled orthopedic surgeon adds the art of acrylic painting to his list of talents.
Prevented from operating following a serious cycling accident, Darrin Eakins is a disabled orthopedic surgeon from North Carolina. Today focused on sports medicine, injury prevention, and health and nutrition more generally, the former surgeon is also a talented artist.
“Since sustaining severe wrist and shoulder injuries in a mountain biking accident, I’ve been prevented from operating,” explains Baylor University graduate Darrin Eakins, speaking from his home in New Hanover County, situated in coastal southeastern North Carolina.
It’s as a result of Eakins’ injuries that he’s developed a particular focus on various facets of sports medicine. Circumstances have also seen the disabled orthopedic surgeon increasingly gravitate toward numerous other interests, both professional and personal, including painting.
A talented artist, the sports medicine expert, has, he says, found a particular flair for acrylics. “It’s a wonderful medium,” says Eakins, “and something I’ve really begun to embrace, particularly in the last few years.”
Acrylic painting utilizes fast-drying, highly-pigmented polymer emulsions. Most modern acrylic paints are water-based. However, they become water-resistant when dry – a trait unique primarily to acrylics. Famous artists renowned for using acrylic paints include Andy Warhol, David Hockney, and Robert Motherwell.
Eakins first became more seriously involved in art roughly five years ago, ultimately settling on painting as his main creative outlet. “Acrylics quickly became my preference,” he explains, “and I’ve been honing my skills with them ever since.”
Following his accident, the disabled orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine expert has also put considerable time into several other hobbies and interests. Chief among these is pickleball. Although a long-time pickleball player, Eakins developed a renewed love of the game after being unable to partake in tennis and badminton.
Elsewhere, the North Carolina native also enjoys a lifelong passion for fishing. “Fishing also doubles up as inspiration for my art, with landscapes a favorite of mine,” adds Eakins. He primarily chooses to fish in often beautiful surroundings, he reports, both close to his home in the so-called Tar Heel State and further afield.
About Darrin
Disabled orthopedic surgeon Darrin Eakins is a North Carolina native born and raised between the Tar Heel State city of High Point and Dallas, Texas. Eakins is a graduate of both Baylor University and Wake Forest University, located in Waco, Texas, and Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
Completing his studies in the top ten percent of his class, he undertook an orthopedic surgery residency at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, Oregon. Years later, Eakins remains hugely interested in all of the most cutting-edge orthopedic surgery innovations. He’s also an established authority on sports medicine and injury prevention.
An avid pickleball player, in addition to his love of art and fishing, Darrin Eakins further enjoys stock market investing, reading, and listening to music. Similarly talented in investing in stocks, the hobby artist is currently based in Wilmington, North Carolina. He’s also spent time living in Boca Raton and Delray Beach, Florida, and relishes traveling as and when time permits.
