Archive for the ‘Gift Art’ Category

a boulder of sweetness, a boulder of sorrow . . .

Thursday, December 29th, 2022

“Tension between the best things that can happen and the worst things that can happen is where you and I find ourselves every day. That’s where you’ll find Jesus. Over and over again, he’s in that place between sweetness and sorrow — fruitfulness and barrenness.”
— Troy Brewer
 

Not too many people in the world receive a miniature collage landscape as a thank-you present for the holidays. I’m so grateful for this year-end commission. What a splendid gift — from my dear patron and for her recipient, too! Family loss, family gain. Funny how sweetness and sorrow get all blended together at this closing time of year.

 

Les Rochers du Long Lac
collage landscape by J A Dixon
6.5 x 6.8125 inches
0:100 site/studio
private collection

Makin’ Christmas collage again!

Friday, December 23rd, 2022

 

Happy Happy to my Partner in All Things!

Monday, April 11th, 2022

 

1979
collage miniature by J A Dixon
4.75 x 5.0625 inches
collection of Dana Lynn Dixon

Haven on the Ridge

Wednesday, September 30th, 2020

“Observers should feel that the act of painting was effortless — that it happened, it just happened. Which, of course, is not true.”
— Jane Piper
 

I’ll be spending more time in the collage studio soon, but I made the most of the warm months to create collage artwork in the open air. Much love and appreciation goes out to my sister, Joan Wood, for hosting a summer plein-air gathering at her wonderful retreat on Kelley Ridge in Garrard County, Kentucky. Since I was the PAACK coordinator for the outing, I decided to set up in a central spot to help me avoid overlooking any of our intrepid participants. The turnout was great, and I had at least one visitor that I wasn’t expecting. A house portrait demands a certain density and exactitude. I left with a good start, but it fell short of the hoped-for level of detail, so I challenged myself to bring it around with an expenditure of studio time equal to what I devoted to the outdoor session.

Cardinal Haven is the name that our mother, Virginia, came up with for Joan’s isolated abode (which spurred the title of this featured miniature). It’s on display right now, as part of the annual group exhibition in downtown Danville. En Plein Air lasts until October 30.
 
 

Haven on the Ridge
collage miniature by J A Dixon
50% / 50% — site to studio
7.1875 x 7.1875 inches
private collection

Bringing the ‘Haus’ repository up to date . . .

Sunday, March 22nd, 2020

“Once you’re over the hill you begin to pick up speed.”
— Charles Schultz
 

I think back to when John’s Haus of Cards produced 200-to-300 handmade cards a year — for birthdays and celebrations, for sickness and sorrow. Compare that to my current output, and I’m certainly not “picking up speed.” But I have no thoughts of giving it up. It’s still one of my favorite things to do. Check out my full archive of greetings.
 

collage greeting card by John’s Haus of Cards!

Sweet Petite
collage greeting card by J A Dixon
series Omega, collection of D L Dixon

collage greeting card by John’s Haus of Cards!     collage greeting card by John’s Haus of Cards!

Daughter + Mother
collage greeting cards by J A Dixon
series Alpha/Omega hybrid, private collection

collage greeting card by John’s Haus of Cards!

Mighty Joan
collage greeting card by J A Dixon
series Alpha, collection of J D A Wood

collage greeting card by John’s Haus of Cards!

Sym-patti-co
collage greeting card by J A Dixon
series Omega, collection of P Powell

collage greeting card by John’s Haus of Cards!

Bouquet of Hearts
collage greeting card by J A Dixon
series Omega, private collection

collage greeting card by John’s Haus of Cards!

A Natalie Day
collage greeting card by J A Dixon
series Alpha/Omega hybrid, collection of N Sluga

collage greeting card by John’s Haus of Cards!

Foot’s Choice
collage greeting card by J A Dixon
series Omega, collection of W W Barefoot

collage greeting card by John’s Haus of Cards!

For Alyx
collage greeting card by J A Dixon
series Alpha, collection of A Kenner

Mindful of the most vulnerable

Sunday, March 15th, 2020

There is no profit in worry for something beyond one’s control. It is a time to think clearly, to focus on what one can actually affect, to be extremely inquisitive, to be self-sufficient, and to take care for the vulnerable. Here is a collage miniature that I attached to a hand-crafted card for a friend, good patron, and person of faith who is currently at high risk.

In Praise of Prayer
greeting card miniature by J A Dixon
4.8125 x 5 inches
private collection

Big night for tiny art

Saturday, February 29th, 2020

“Many artists struggle to make a profit each year, and although it might sound noble to give art away, sometimes it does the community of artists more harm than good. Fund raisers who ask numerous artists for outright donations devalue the worth of the art in that community. … The folks that put on these fundraisers are not malicious people. They just don’t understand how selling donated art at low prices hurts the art community.”
— Lori Woodward
 

Our local Art Center had another successful fundraiser last night, thanks to a massive number of minuscule donations from regional artists. Staff members had to rethink how the event was organized. The turnout was so insane last year that the fire marshal weighed in with concerns.

I contributed four playing card experiments a year ago, but this time around I decided to boost that to five collage miniatures that met the 6×6-inch constraint.

Much has been said and written about the expectation that artists will continuously supply the fruits of their creative labor without compensation in support of nonprofit fundraisers. My basic motto is, “Keep it small, and keep it infrequent.” I’ve gone into more detail about the issue at this blogsite more than once. I have respect for those who decline requests across the board. It’s a decision for each individual. It bugs me when people preach a universal approach. Pro-bono contributions are a time-honored activity in the professional world, but, as with nearly everything, there has to be balance. I recently took part in a fundraiser that split some of the proceeds with participating artists. Nothing wrong with a win-win like that. I hope the practice spreads to a greater number of worthy organizations.

It’s not a new idea. Maria Brophy, Lori Woodward, and others had pretty much thought this through ten years ago:

• mariabrophy.com / the problem with donating art and the solution

• fineartviews.com / fundraisers that do it right

Please share your observations with me. I shall always reply!
 

   

 

   

 


 
 
 

Five Tiny Donations
collage miniatures by J A Dixon
within a 6×6-inch size limit
“Tiny Art” fundraiser to benefit
Art Center of the Bluegrass

Crucify Them

Saturday, July 6th, 2019

 

Crucify Them
personal gift collage by J A Dixon
12 x 15 inches
private collection

Quantum Entanglement

Thursday, May 16th, 2019

“Einstein had no difficulty accepting that affairs in different places could be correlated. What he could not accept was that an intervention at one place could influence, immediately, affairs at the other.”
— John Bell
 

After a long dry spell, I’m pleased to be back tearing and gluing. The result is my contribution to the Art-full Affair, sponsored by the Arts Commission of Danville/Boyle County, to raise financial support for local arts scholarships. Quantum Entanglement has been selected for the live auction tomorrow evening.

Stay tuned for a look at what has kept me out of the collage studio since the end of February.
 

Quantum Entanglement
collage on canvas by J A Dixon
28 x 22 inches

•  S O L D

Space-Monkey-At-Law

Monday, April 29th, 2019

 
Space-Monkey-At-Law ~ J A Dixon

Space-Monkey-At-Law
personal gift collage by J A Dixon
7 x 9.5 inches
private collection

Happy Birthday, Clara!

Monday, December 10th, 2018

There are times when one is reminded of the profound privilege of sharing artistic abilities. Recently I was humbled when friends asked me to create collage artwork for a fine lady on her 90th birthday. Clara was a teen when American soldiers and Allied forces liberated her homeland of Italy during the Second World War. The medium of collage offers the most creatively efficient capacity to embed a dozen or more images and symbolic elements that have personal meaning for an individual recipient. We honored Clara’s love of America and her lifelong gratitude to those who heroically sacrificed on her behalf — men such as Garlin Conner and John Squires, and so many others, including former U.S. Senators Daniel Inouye and Bob Dole. And, without a time-consuming process, I could at the same time recognize her particular appreciation of opera, the visual and literary arts, education, flowers, movies, wine, dogs, and a fondness for Mickey Mouse (who also turned 90 this year).

As an artist, I always find what I do rewarding, but it just doesn’t get any better than “the art of the gift.”
 

   

My friend Bill presents a birthday gift to Clara —
a collage miniature that I created with her in mind.