Archive for the ‘Thematic Series’ Category
Saturday, May 10th, 2014
“What the Color Field painters shared most importantly with the Abstract Expressionists was the conviction that the role of art was not to report on the visible, but to reveal the unknown. They shared too, the belief that paintings that resembled nothing preexisting could have the presence, authority and associative richness of other real things in the world.”
— Karen Wilkin
I began my Bibelot Series by recalling to mind the lost treasures of George Headley. With this 13th miniature, I am wondering if the meditation may have reached its culmination. The primary reason centers on the changes that occurred with my process while creating this most recent composition. Because I find myself thinking less about the precious fabrications that provided the initial inspiration and more about the aesthetic qualities of the artifact manifesting before me, the connection to the Headley works have diminished enough for me to consider whether or not the transition to a new investigation is taking place. The color and abstract relationships inherent in an evolving collage surface seem to exist for their own sake, rather than as an homage to other artistic ideas, and point to a deeper reality. What comes next? As a student of American History, the number 13 has never felt unlucky to me. We shall see what follows.
Spy (Bibelot 848)
collage miniature by J A Dixon
4 x 5.5 inches
Purchase this artwork!
Posted in 1) Available!, Abstract Expressionism, Bibelot Series, Color Field, Influences, J A Dixon, Methodology, Theme/Variation | No Comments »
Monday, January 13th, 2014
An atypical subject-oriented collage, but, with this one, I wanted to focus on something of favored interest to my daughter. Gift art is always an opportunity to put any ruts in the rearview mirror, especially at the cusp of a new cycle.
Sovereign Creature
collage miniature by J A Dixon
8 x 10 inches
collection of T Strock
Posted in Gift Art, Horse Series, J A Dixon | No Comments »
Sunday, April 7th, 2013
“I’ve never met a tradition that is not the result of successful invention. As soon as you invent something that everybody wants, unless you evolve that tradition, it starts to get smaller. I think of the Silk Road, in many ways, as the Internet of antiquity. Today it’s much faster but we had essentially the same results. When people met at the borders, you traded; you figured out who you are; do I trust you? Can we do business together? Can we be friends?”
— Yo-Yo Ma
A week after finishing my 31-miniatures-in-31-days exercise, which culminated in a “Silk Road” collage series, I am able to look at the month’s output with a bit of perspective. A period of sustained experimentation collided with a catalytic event (attending a performance of the Silk Road Ensemble with Yo-Yo Ma), and suddenly I was off on a ride of intense thematic exploration. I am now able to link the end result to a piece I created seven years ago as a tribute to Kurt Schwitters. I felt strongly at the time that by transcending the individual characteristics of ingredient elements, the totality of a compositional effect could take on a reverential tone. I have nothing against irreverence, satire, or sarcasm in art, but I am increasingly comfortable with the idea that when I step beyond an inspirational experience, my natural tendency is to seek beauty, harmony, and perhaps even “the sacred” in a work of collage.
Sacred Ode To Merz
J A Dixon, 2006
homage to K Schwitters
16 x 20 inches (framed)
private collection
Posted in Artists/Other, Experiments, Influences, Ingredients, J A Dixon, K Schwitters, March Exercise, Merz, Silk Road Series, Y-Y Ma | No Comments »
