Archive for December, 2016

Robykana

Wednesday, December 28th, 2016

“Art is worthless unless it plants a measure of
splendor in people’s hearts.”
—Taha Muhammad Ali

There are few creative pastimes more fulfilling than directing one’s practice into a personal gift of art. Robykana, a collage on panel, is a housewarming present for two of our most hospitable of friends. Its title derives from the name of their new dwelling, perched upon a Kentucky River overlook with, at best, only a handful of rivals in the Bluegrass. It is the kind of sanctuary many would keep to themselves, but our friends take quite the opposite approach. My grateful response can only be to create a composition packed with private references, symbolic meanings, and secret allusions. Needless to say, a collage artist will use the process as an opportunity for intuitive spontaneity and the working out of ongoing aesthetic considerations. Without fail, this kind of intimate enterprise gives rise to ideas for new investigations, and, happily, it becomes a gift to myself as well.

Robykana ~ J A Dixon

Robykana
collage on panel by J A Dixon
23 x 17 inches
collection of S & R Hempel

Christmas Collage Experiments

Sunday, December 25th, 2016

“Time is so sneaky…don’t let it fool you into saying silly things. Your time here is yours…treasure it and enjoy it. It doesn’t ‘move’…it merely ‘exists’…period.”
— B L Cummings

I was thinking that the holiday season had gotten away from me, and that I had not had enough time to make the many hand-crafted things that usually capture my interest and comprise my gift giving. And then I saw a Christmas Eve comment from the incomparable Burton, who has a superlative knack for putting universal thoughts into words. The whole “ain’t got no time” notion dissolved and I realized, once again, that there’s always enough time for what’s important.

Wishing the joy of Christmas to all . . .
 

collage experiment by John Andrew Dixon

Untitled (nativity with serpent)
a Christmas collage experiment by J A Dixon
collection of C D Darst

collage experiment by John Andrew Dixon

Untitled (nativity with thorns)
a Christmas collage experiment by J A Dixon
collection of P B Seitz

collage experiment by John Andrew Dixon

Untitled (nativity with cherubim)
a Christmas collage experiment by J A Dixon
collection of K Simpson

Continuing a series . . .

Friday, December 23rd, 2016

“It is by logic that we prove, but by intuition that we discover.”
— Henri Poincaré

December is the time of year for making hand-crafted holiday cards. By and by, I return to variations on the theme of a Christmas tree. Perhaps some of the collage miniatures are more “successful” than others, but the point of this ritual (other than sharing joy with dear ones, of course) is granting free rein to an intuitive response. Exercising this capacity is at the heart of collage as a medium. How important it is to give the imagination a blank check and invest no concern in the lack of a preconceived approach! Choosing a simple pictorial theme conveniently jump-starts an experimental process. What follows is pure discovery.
 

29 collage greeting
cards by J A Dixon

variations on a
Christmas theme
2001 – 2016

Vertical note cards now available

Friday, December 16th, 2016

At our studio gallery, a surreal lady is my most popular note card, and now you can purchase cards with Pulcinella’s Secret as a packet of five or as part of a set of assorted cards. A set of five vertical note cards contains one each of five cards, with Pulcinella’s Secret, plus details from Structural Integrity, Fallen Body, Mystery Solved, and Pearallelograms. A set of four vertical note cards without Pulcinella’s Secret is also available.

Larger than a typical note card, each blank card is 5.125 x 7.75 inches and is folded along the left edge. Envelopes are included.

Click below to buy with your PayPal account or a credit card.
No extra charge for shipping, handling, or state taxes within the USA.
International customers, please contact me directly.

Thank you!

 

Pulcinella’s Secret cards ~ 5 cards, 5 each of 1 ~ $27.50

Assorted vertical-format cards ~ 5 cards, 1 each of 5 ~ $27.50
includes Pulcinella’s Secret

Assorted vertical-format cards ~ 4 cards, 1 each of 4 ~ $22.00
does not include Pulcinella’s Secret

 

 

Preview each distinctive collage note card —





Horizontal note cards now available

Thursday, December 15th, 2016

Everything I create is rooted in my investigations of the small format, and now you can purchase note cards derived from some of these collage artworks. A set of four horizontal note cards contains one each of four assorted cards, with details from Structural Integrity, Selective Fusion, Contemplation Ajar, and Mystery Solved. A set of eight cards is also available.

Larger than a typical note card, each blank card is 7.75 x 5.125 inches and is folded along the top edge. Envelopes are included.

Click below to buy with your PayPal account or a credit card.
No extra charge for shipping, handling, or state taxes within the USA.
International customers, please contact me directly.

Thank you!

 

Assorted horizontal-format cards ~ 4 cards, 1 each of 4 ~ $22.00

Assorted horizontal-format cards ~ 8 cards, 2 each of 4 ~ $40.00

 

 
 

Preview each distinctive collage note card —




Diamonds in 2017

Friday, December 9th, 2016

Just learned that my Diamonds in the Rough will be included in a new exhibition next year at Eastern Kentucky University. This piece was created four years ago and has traveled as far as Cincinnati in its mighty quest to find someone other than me who wants to live with it and to puzzle out its visual secrets. As details about the show come into focus, stop back to find out more. Thanks again for your continued interest!
 
Diamonds in the Rough ~ a collage construction by John Andrew Dixon, Danville, Kentucky

Diamonds in the Rough
collage construction by J A Dixon
36 x 36 inches
currently on consignment

That dreaded Artist Tongue

Friday, December 2nd, 2016

“Somehow the language used for describing and discussing art has a reputation for unusual opacity, even sadism.”
– Robert Atkins

Someone recently remarked that my description of collage as an intuitive phenomenon sounds like “artspeak.” I know what she meant — confusing, overblown prose that tends to alienate the “uninitiated.” She may have had a point, although I would hope that there is a difference between jargon meant to exclude those who don’t speak the often-elitist language of contemporary art, and an honest attempt to write about something that is difficult to articulate (because, in essense, it is a non-verbal, non-rational process). If I fall prey to obscuring that distinction at The Collage Miniaturist, please call me on it. I can take it.

dixon_untitledindustry

Untitled (INDUSTRY)
collage experiment by J A Dixon
8 x 12 inches
not for sale