Dry Day on the Fork
Boyle County, Kentucky
collage en plein air by J A Dixon
scrounged paper, litter, gel transfers, tea bags, dried botanicals
on canvas panel, 10 x 8 inches
Recent Landscapes
As I continue
“painting in papers”
LITTER-ally KENTUCKY
Also available as
giclée prints
A Change of Seen
When I took paper and
paste outside
Les Cheneaux Series
Inspired by the
northern waters
I’m pleased to announce that the Artists in Residence have been chosen by Kentucky’s Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest and that I was one of nine Honorable Mentions out of 205 worldwide applications.
Even though I didn’t receive a residency for 2026, I’ve been asked to teach a class there in September. My one-day collage workshop will emphasize “painting in papers’” from nature. Congratulations to Marilee Salvator from Bowling Green and the other four selections!
Here are four of the collage landscapes included in my submission:
Isn’t there something about the “godfather
of merz” that transcends mere homage?

Good Ol’ Boy Dada, part 3
collage artifact by J A Dixon
scrounged paper, packaging, litter
on book cover, 10.25 x 8.375 inches
“The holistic quality of craft lies not only in engaging the whole person but also in harmonizing his understanding of himself in the world.”
— Peter Korn“Well I guess my advice would be: be patient. If you follow your gut and not the advertisements on the side of the bus, everything will turn out as nature intended.”
— Nick Offerman
Plenty of time on the east end of Shaker Village (during past outings) paid off in the studio recently. I decided to complete this one during the final week of my March Exertion. I intend to leave the rough, unfinished edges on this piece. When I was “painting in papers” on location, I could hear the sheep, but they never showed up in my view of their enclosure. Actually, I can still hear them (haha).
As the whole world is forced to swallow “large language models” that have run amok (which nobody really asked for), it is satisfying and gratitude inducing to make something authentic with my own hands at the historic setting of a culture revered for its artisanship.
At Pleasant Hill
collage en plein air by J A Dixon
found paper, gel transfers, tissue, tea bags
on vintage notebook cover, 12.5 x 6 inches
finished during my March Exertion, day 28
The Joining
imaginary collage by J A Dixon
found papers, gel transfers, tissue, tea bags
on canvas, 8 x 10 inches
finished for my March Exertion / day 24
My first rule of collage: There are no rules in collage.
Except for those imposed on oneself, such as my 2026 March Exertion, with 30 collage artworks created in 30 days. Below are six of them.
Click on each square preview to see the full image.
Follow my daily effort at Instagram.
The annual pre-spring studio intensification is upon me, including 30 new collage artworks over the next 30 days. Follow daily progress at my Instagram profile.

The Earth is Full
imaginary landscape by J A Dixon
paper, tissue, gel transfer, tea bags
(workshop demo) 5.875 x 8 inches
March Exertion / 30-in-30, day 1