Archive for the ‘Exhibitions’ Category
Sunday, August 30th, 2026
“To paint is not to copy the object slavishly, it is to grasp a harmony among many relationships.”
— Paul Cézanne
“In my Father’s house are many mansions:
if it were not so, I would have told you.”
— Gospel of John, 14:2
It was quite an honor yesterday to receive a first place prize at the “Bourbon & Brushes” gallery event in Midway. To be honest, I was happiest with the recognition of collage as a legitimate painting medium for landscapes — an unconventional approach within the most grand tradition of representational art. The Bluegrass region of Kentucky is home to multiple landscape artists. I take inspiration from so many of them who excel in pastels, watercolors, acrylics, and oils. More than one of these artists were present among the Saturday lineup. One can have hope without expectations and place an outcome in the considerate response of the jurors. A salute to the other winners (some took home premium whiskey!), plus my sincere appreciation to the panel of volunteer judges and to the energetic organizers: Midway Art Studios, Bluegrass Distillers, and the charming City of Midway. On top of it, they tied the evening to an outstanding street festival which featured the live classic rock that can still stir my bones. (Every picture tells a story, don’t it?)
With the window of time offered by this challenge, I was able to spend a long Monday on location at Elkwood Farm pasting an interpretation of the setting near their home mansion (where a tasting room for Bluegrass Distillers is housed), to complete the piece in my studio by the Thursday night deadline, and then to make a Friday delivery. My composition includes a “portrait” of a prominent misshapen tree, but the eye is drawn to the stately dwelling. I think I was successful in my attempt to include only the essential ingredients to grasp the character of the historic brick structure. At any rate, I won’t quibble with the jury’s verdict!
Many a Mansion
collage painting by J A Dixon
11 x 14 inches + wood frame, crafted by the artist
available for purchase
• First Place Prize
Posted in 1) Available!, Exhibitions, Honors, Landscape, Links, Music, P Cézanne, Verse, Video | No Comments »
Sunday, August 23rd, 2026
Pay a visit to Georgetown, Kentucky this month to view CONVERSATIONS, my current exhibition with pastel artist Julie Quick at Fine Art Editions Gallery. See many of my original plein air collage landscapes in person. For premium prints of my art, talk to proprietor John Stephen Hockensmith, a consummate reproduction specialist. I could not be more pleased with the archival quality and affordable pricing.
Posted in En Plein Air, Exhibitions, J A Dixon, J Hockensmith, Landscape | No Comments »
Saturday, August 22nd, 2026
“I hope to have God on my side, but I must have Kentucky.”
— Abraham Lincoln
I did not create anything specific for July’s 250th commemoration of the Declaration, but I figured I should finish off a plein air collage piece that I started during the summer of 2025. I put final touches on Tower of Boyle for OBSERVING LIGHT, the current exhibition by our Plein Air Artists of Central Kentucky at Art Center of the Bluegrass in downtown Danville. If you are in the area, I hope you get to see the show!
It seemed like a good idea at the time. Tackling our courthouse tower with collage proved a bit tricky after I found a spot to sit on Main Street. The noise and truck exhaust was more unpleasant than I expected. At any rate, I blocked it out and added enough detail to offer a fighting chance in the studio. “Gimme that countryside!”
I have not typically interpreted local landmarks and historical architecture, but I challenged myself with this distinctive cupola when the PAACK gathered in downtown Danville. The Boyle County Courthouse has an interesting story. It was completed during the Civil War and almost immediately became a hospital for casualties from the Battle of Perryville. Because the backyard of our home and studio adjoins the Courthouse boundary, we have lived in the shadow of its familiar clock tower since 1990. Perhaps it is just me, but something seems fitting about adding this to my paper creations during the year that America celebrates an important anniversary of its founding document, since so many people were caught up in a battle to determine its promise for Kentucky and the Union. Some of the wounded soldiers survived with the care they received beneath the Boyle icon, and others died there, so far from their own homes. Abe’s peculiar wartime remark provides a hint of how vital the border state of Kentucky was to the effort, and the men on both sides of the bloody conflict near Danville surely knew it. Over a thousand of them paid with their lives.
Tower of Boyle
collage en plein air by J A Dixon
6.25 x 8.375 inches
• S O L D
Posted in En Plein Air, Exhibitions, J A Dixon, Landscape, Works in progress | No Comments »
Friday, July 31st, 2026
It is hard to believe how long it has been since I first sat to observe the Caldwell stable with the Plein Air Artists of Central Kentucky. It would be two years before I returned to the same spot for more pasting, and now this panel is finished at last, nearly a year after that! At any rate, I am pleased with the result, so this piece will be included in our upcoming show at Art Center of the Bluegrass. My thanks to Marion and Rob Caldwell for the extended hospitality!
The 2026 exhibition of PAACK artworks will have five of my plein-air creations on display. The one featured here has a horse (Rocky) and a smaller piece includes cattle. Incorporating livestock into my pictorials has had a long and preposterous gestation, and, after tricking myself into breaking the ice at the 2025 Paint the Town challenge, I’ve gotten more comfortable this season with interpreting animals with collage.
It’s about time, don’t you think?
Stable with Rocky
collage en plein air by J A Dixon
found papers, tissue, gel transfers, tea bags
on canvas panel, 10.875 x 8.125 inches
• S O L D
Posted in En Plein Air, Exhibitions, Ingredients, J A Dixon, Landscape, Works in progress | No Comments »
Tuesday, July 14th, 2026
Everyone!
You’re invited to the opening reception of
our duo exhibition at Fine Art Editions gallery.
Thursday, July 23 ~ 6:30 to 8pm
C O N V E R S A T I O N S
Dialogue in Pastel and Collage
with Julie Quick and John Andrew Dixon
Hockensmith’s Fine Art Editions
146 East Main Street
Georgetown, Kentucky
Watch the video promotion for the exhibition.
Posted in En Plein Air, Events, Exhibitions, J A Dixon, J Hockensmith, Landscape, Video | No Comments »
Tuesday, July 7th, 2026
“The artistic practice of John Andrew Dixon emerges from many years of experience in graphic design and a deeply considered engagement with the history of collage. He has developed a distinctive visual language in which compositional precision meets intuitive improvisation, and discarded material acquires renewed aesthetic value. Combining the discipline of a designer with the sensitivity of a landscape painter, Dixon approaches collage simultaneously as an image and as a material artifact.”
— Anna Kłos
This Thursday, July 9th, is the opening of the International Collage Art Exhibition in Poland at the University of Warsaw Library. It is an honor to have my nonrepresentational collage artwork as part of the landmark show. This body of work has been curated by Dr Anna Kłos, her fourth installment of an international project dedicated to contemporary collage art. It coincides with the 10th anniversary of Retroavangarda, the gallery that she organized to showcase her scholarship.
Modern Collage will be released as an accompanying publication, and I am pleased to announce that Wind Harbor and other examples of my work will be included.
The exhibition has been honored by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland. Official partners of Anna’s project include the Spanish Embassy, Argentinian Embassy, and the Czech Center in Warsaw. From what I understand, the display is scheduled over the next couple years for travel to selected museums across Europe. Presenting the work of 75 collage artists from around the world, it will highlight key developments and current trends in contemporary collage. I am proud to be one of the few artists representing North America and to be among the 50 artists chosen to appear in the new book.
Do I wish I could get on a jet with Dana and be there for the gala event? Of course — but “them cards ain’t been dealt yet.” I am more than satisfied to have recognition for my effort within the medium. Time will tell what the future holds.
Hot Ode (to jazz)
collage miniature by J A Dixon
2021, 3.5625 x 4.375 inches
collection of Retroavangarda
Posted in A Kłos, Collage, D L Dixon, Exhibitions, Honors, J A Dixon, Museums, Publications | No Comments »
Monday, July 6th, 2026
This is my other new collage that is part of the “Gathered in the Garden” exhibition at Kleinhelter Gallery. If you are in the Louisville area and have never been across the river to visit this space in downtown New Albany, make it a point to do so over the next couple weeks. It’s a great summer show, and you’ll see all four of my originals on display.
Mood Marigold
still life collage by J A Dixon
found paper, tea bags, tissue, gel transfers
on canvas panel, 10 x 8 inches
with handcrafted oak frame
available for purchase
Posted in 1) Available!, Collage, Exhibitions, Still Life | No Comments »
Thursday, July 2nd, 2026
This collage began as an on-site impression during a PAACK outing to the amazing Michler’s of Lexington, and then it became an extended studio interpretation from the photo reference I took away.
Currently on display and available at the incomparable Kleinhelter Gallery during their “Gathered in the Garden” show in New Albany, Indiana!
At the Greenhouse
still life collage by J A Dixon
found paper, tea bags, tissue, gel transfers, and litter
on canvas panel, 8 x 10 inches
with handcrafted oak frame
available for purchase
Posted in 1) Available!, Collage, Exhibitions, Still Life | No Comments »
Saturday, June 27th, 2026
“He was working at a pace he knew he could sustain until quitting time; he was hitting his lick. The difficulty had come to be balanced by his being equal to it. He seemed almost to be gliding, as if drawn on now not by will but by gravity.”
— Wendell Berry, ”A Friend of Mine” from That Distant Land
My collage painting sold at the “Paint the Town” reception on Saturday evening. No matter how much preparation I do, the annual plein-air challenge forces me to cut and paste faster than at any other time. This year I made a tiny preliminary study 
of my intended composition the previous day, and I think that helped me stay impressionistic enough to meet the speed constraint. My thanks to Kate Savage and all her Arts Connect board members who created another successful, celebratory event — plus the artwork buyer, too!
The resulting exhibition is on display at the Main Lexington Public Library until mid July. Visit the Arts Shop with this link to purchase other creations from the day — for as long as they last!
Aspect with Apse
St Peter Church, Lexington, Kentucky
collage en plein air by J A Dixon
on stretched canvas 10 x 10 inches
plus handcrafted wood frame
• S O L D
Posted in Collage, Constraints, En Plein Air, Exhibitions, J A Dixon, K Savage, Landscape, Links, Paint the Town Series | No Comments »
