Legacy Series « The Collage Miniaturist

Archive for the ‘Legacy Series’ Category

The art of legacy collage

Thursday, July 10th, 2025

“During the last two years at the Motherhouse, I made a real effort to ‘clean out,’ and organize everything. It was truly a freeing experience! However, I still had to decide what to do with what I wanted to keep. Around this time, I had attended the funeral of a friend who had commissioned three artworks to represent her life: ‘Body, Mind, and Spirit.’ I was immediately touched by this collage idea. From then until this writing, I have been working on my collages. I had planned to do only two: ‘Home and Family’ and ‘Ministry as a Dominican.’ My artist brought forth a third, and it is a perfect fit for my life.”
— Sister Mary Otho Ballard

Below is a triptych which represents of a type of artwork that I call “Legacy Collage.” My entry about a previous example from 2016 described the scenario of a person attempting to distinguish the difference between actual family heirlooms and other items marked for eventual disposal. Inevitably, some images and memorabilia would fall into a gray area between, and therein lies the potential for one or more collage compositions. If creatively preserved as wall-worthy artwork, they can remain meaningful into the future.

A retired Dominican Sister of Peace saw a collage triptych at the funeral of her friend. It was a grouping that I had collaboratively assembled with my late patron. Facing a terminal condition herself, Sister had been reducing her few possessions and arranged a commission for me to make a similar creation. She had lived an extraordinary life of educational and administrative service, including an extended ministry to serve the native people of Belize, but she was physically and spiritually detaching from all of it. Because Sister had taken a vow of poverty, her devoted nephew wanted to make an enduring memorial possible, and I was honored to accept the collage assignment.

Originally there were to be two panels — the first would document her life before convent, growing up as La Monda, part of a large, farm-based family in Kentucky. The second would be about her long and diverse life as a nun. When I took stock of all the designated ingredients, it became clear that this project would also need to be a triptych. The third panel would commemorate her active preparation for eternal life.

panel 1 ~ FORMATION ~ Farm and Family
panel 2 ~ VOCATION ~ Growth and Service
panel 3 ~ ASPIRATION ~ Love and Detachment

Sister and I worked together intermittently for nearly a year, bringing her vision into being. Her presence, wisdom, and peaceful soul have had a profound effect on my heart. It’s been one of the most personally rewarding experiences I’ve had as an artist. I met Sister’s nephew last year after the finished collages were delivered, and he was remarkably generous. As Christmas approached, her condition declined, My wife and I spent some time with Sister, but she struggled with clarity. She then asked her nephew to come for a visit and for me to be there to meet with them. He and I happened to arrive at her care center about the same time, only to learn that she had passed on a half hour before.

FORMATION ~ VOCATION ~ ASPIRATION
John Andrew Dixon
three legacy collage artworks on canvas
16 x 20 inches each
private collection

Posted in Artifacts, Collaboration, Collage, Commissions, Homage, Ingredients, J A Dixon, Larger Works, Legacy Series | No Comments »

A happy 80th to Kathy!

Wednesday, November 27th, 2024

“Say thank you in advance for what is already yours.”
— Denzel Washington

As the holiday nears, gratitude is in the hearts of all who silently look inside and attune, especially those with circumstances in flux between sweetness and sorrow — for those of us less tempted to take things for granted — as a tide of adversity and bounty reminds us that thankfulness must be present in the midst of both suffering and grace.

A long practice of making crafted cards for others, the wellspring of my concentration on the art of collage, occasionally sparks an unexpected commission based, more often than not, on the traditional photo montage. These works may not be destined for a museum, but the response makes them a most rewarding experience, as I participate vicariously in an apex of family joy. The type of “legacy collage” featured below is an ideal gift because it is highly meaningful to the recipient, of course, but everyone also relates to the inherent “cut and paste” technique, accessible to all, with its deep heritage in the domestic and applied arts.

Bouquet of Memories
legacy collage by J A Dixon
11 x 14 inches

Posted in Commissions, Gift Art, Haus of Cards, Holidays, J A Dixon, Legacy Series | No Comments »

Collage and the Meaning of Existence

Sunday, January 31st, 2016

Sorry about that title. I am having a bit of fun with the search engines.

On a serious note, today’s entry is about how collage can be put to the service of more than irony, shock, whimsy, irreverence, or cynicism. Let me say first, if you please, that all those things can be valid, even pleasurable, effects. They are rooted deeply in the history of the medium. One could make the case that a collage artwork is never more than a step or two removed from the essence of dada, surrealism, or popism. On the other hand, for me, there are times when that creative genealogy is best put aside, in favor of a different tone.

Developing works with special meaning to those for which they were intended has always been some of the most fulfilling time I have spent as an artist. Collage has the potential to capture profound significance for a recipient, especially when it is personalized with meaningful artifacts and memorabilia. Also, there is an opportunity for the artist to thoughtfully select and integrate additional ingredient elements for greater depth and layered associations.

The project featured below began with a discussion about how all of us accumulate “stuff” that will never rise to the level of a family heirloom, but cannot be comfortably discarded because it has true meaning in the context of one’s journey in life. The patron took to heart my offer to embed many of these things in an artistic expression that would likely become a treasure for descendants instead of a burden of disposition. With the capacity to transcend the “scrapbook,” fine art collage is ideally suited for such an endeavor.

It was the client’s idea to approach the commission as a triptych, or three separate panels, that would convey the themes of body, mind, and spirit. I wanted the components to work as a total piece, but also for each to have a stand-alone quality. Whether they stay together or part company will be left to future circumstances and decisions. The resulting “legacy collage” is a distinctive creation that preserves images representing the life and guiding principles of a unique individual. It has been my honor to provide that creative service to her.