{"id":8093,"date":"2017-02-05T12:31:54","date_gmt":"2017-02-05T16:31:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.xorph.com\/jadixon\/?p=8093"},"modified":"2017-11-21T13:07:37","modified_gmt":"2017-11-21T17:07:37","slug":"empress-of-wings-details","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.xorph.com\/jadixon\/archives\/8093","title":{"rendered":"Empress of Wings ~ details"},"content":{"rendered":"<blockquote><p>\u201cTalking about my music traps me in a vicious circle and it\u2019s very seldom that I manage to escape it. If I\u2019m writing a new piece then I mustn\u2019t talk about it because if I do then I have no impulse to write it any more. Once it\u2019s written, then there is nothing left to say. That\u2019s very apparent to me. It\u2019s a matter of thinking in music, and I hope my music finds a direct way to the listener without any further explanation.\u201d<br \/>\n\u2014 Arvo P\u00e4rt<br \/>\n&nbsp;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Allow me to dive deeply into the context of <a href=\"http:\/\/www.xorph.com\/jadixon\/archives\/8095\" target=\"_blank\">my most prominent large-scale collage artwork to date<\/a>. Some of you may dismiss my analytical subtext as <a href=\"http:\/\/www.xorph.com\/jadixon\/archives\/7897\" target=\"_blank\">obscure artspeak<\/a>, or others might think that I have lost myself in an esoteric miasma. But to those of you who are kind enough to offer the benefit of the doubt, or who also conduct the same kind of \u201cpost-mortem\u201d (heaven help us), this is the kind of thing that people with a visual design background have a tendency to do. Nevertheless, a collage artwork should stand on its own without a preliminary explanation or a closing summation (just so you know where I stand on that). For those of you who are still with me, let\u2019s jump in&#8230;<br \/>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\n<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.xorph.com\/jadixon\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Dixon_Empress_DetailA.jpg\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.xorph.com\/jadixon\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Dixon_Empress_DetailA.jpg\" title=\"detail from \u2018Empress of Wings\u2019 ~ J A Dixon\" alt=\"detail from \u2018Empress of Wings\u2019 by John Andrew Dixon, Danville, Kentucky ~ internationally known as The Collage Miniaturist\" width=\"333\" height=\"433\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-8049\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.xorph.com\/jadixon\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Dixon_Empress_DetailA.jpg 666w, https:\/\/www.xorph.com\/jadixon\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Dixon_Empress_DetailA-300x390.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 333px) 100vw, 333px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size: 82%; line-height: 133%; margin-top: 446px; margin-bottom: 12px; color: maroon; padding-left: 11px;\" align=\"left\"><em>My goal was to create an illusion of depth with an abstract layering of value and<br \/>color contrasts, culminating with the \u201ctitle character,\u201d a Queen Alexandria Birdwing \u2014<br \/>nature\u2019s largest butterfly (which corresponds to this being the largest collage on<br \/>canvas that I have created so far).<\/em><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.xorph.com\/jadixon\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Dixon_Empress_DetailB.jpg\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.xorph.com\/jadixon\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Dixon_Empress_DetailB.jpg\" title=\"detail from \u2018Empress of Wings\u2019 ~ J A Dixon\" alt=\"detail from \u2018Empress of Wings\u2019 by John Andrew Dixon, Danville, Kentucky ~ internationally known as The Collage Miniaturist\" width=\"433\" height=\"333\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-8048\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.xorph.com\/jadixon\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Dixon_Empress_DetailB.jpg 866w, https:\/\/www.xorph.com\/jadixon\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Dixon_Empress_DetailB-300x231.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.xorph.com\/jadixon\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Dixon_Empress_DetailB-768x591.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 433px) 100vw, 433px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size: 82%; line-height: 133%; margin-top: 357px; margin-bottom: 12px; color: maroon; padding-left: 11px;\" align=\"left\"><em>My development as an artist has been rooted in the small format, taking what I have<br \/>learned from that into the realm of a larger scale. It is not surprising that I find myself<br \/>embedding actual collage miniatures into bigger works, as I have done here.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.xorph.com\/jadixon\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Dixon_Empress_DetailC.jpg\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.xorph.com\/jadixon\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Dixon_Empress_DetailC.jpg\" title=\"detail from \u2018Empress of Wings\u2019 ~ J A Dixon\" alt=\"detail from \u2018Empress of Wings\u2019 by John Andrew Dixon, Danville, Kentucky ~ internationally known as The Collage Miniaturist\" width=\"333\" height=\"433\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-8047\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.xorph.com\/jadixon\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Dixon_Empress_DetailC.jpg 666w, https:\/\/www.xorph.com\/jadixon\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Dixon_Empress_DetailC-300x390.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 333px) 100vw, 333px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size: 82%; line-height: 133%; margin-top: 457px; margin-bottom: 12px; color: maroon; padding-left: 11px;\" align=\"left\"><em>In addition to my preference for ingredients that represent the culture of language<br \/>and symbolic communication, I lean toward a \u201cmaximalist\u201d approach, in this case<br \/>the clustering of dense material to contrast with bolder shapes and color-quantities.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.xorph.com\/jadixon\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Dixon_Empress_DetailD.jpg\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.xorph.com\/jadixon\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Dixon_Empress_DetailD.jpg\" title=\"detail from \u2018Empress of Wings\u2019 ~ J A Dixon\" alt=\"detail from \u2018Empress of Wings\u2019 by John Andrew Dixon, Danville, Kentucky ~ internationally known as The Collage Miniaturist\" width=\"433\" height=\"333\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-8046\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.xorph.com\/jadixon\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Dixon_Empress_DetailD.jpg 866w, https:\/\/www.xorph.com\/jadixon\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Dixon_Empress_DetailD-300x231.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.xorph.com\/jadixon\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Dixon_Empress_DetailD-768x591.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 433px) 100vw, 433px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size: 82%; line-height: 133%; margin-top: 357px; margin-bottom: 12px; color: maroon; padding-left: 11px;\" align=\"left\"><em>The counterpoise of angled polygons and strong diagonals forms the basis for a<br \/>dynamic visual tension, allowing for more nuanced details to serve as focal points, spatial anchors, and color accents.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.xorph.com\/jadixon\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Dixon_Empress_DetailE.jpg\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.xorph.com\/jadixon\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Dixon_Empress_DetailE.jpg\" title=\"detail from \u2018Empress of Wings\u2019 ~ J A Dixon\" alt=\"detail from \u2018Empress of Wings\u2019 by John Andrew Dixon, Danville, Kentucky ~ internationally known as The Collage Miniaturist\" width=\"333\" height=\"433\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-8045\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.xorph.com\/jadixon\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Dixon_Empress_DetailE.jpg 666w, https:\/\/www.xorph.com\/jadixon\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Dixon_Empress_DetailE-300x390.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 333px) 100vw, 333px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size: 82%; line-height: 133%; margin-top: 457px; margin-bottom: 12px; color: maroon; padding-left: 11px;\" align=\"left\"><em>Although I have inserted into this artwork many details for literal association and<br \/>observational reverie, it is essentially a \u201ccollage painting,\u201d with attention to the<br \/>artistic surface, an activation of visual space, and the overall viewing impression. <\/em><\/p>\n<p>Thanks for visiting! Please <a href=\"http:\/\/www.xorph.com\/jadixon\/wp-login.php?action=register\" target=\"_blank\">register and comment here<\/a> to let me know what you think. Criticism is permitted here. I promise to respond.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size: 82%; line-height: 133%; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 44px; color: maroon; padding-left: 11px;\" align=\"left\"><em> <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cTalking about my music traps me in a vicious circle and it\u2019s very seldom that I manage to escape it. If I\u2019m writing a new piece then I mustn\u2019t talk about it because if I do then I have no impulse to write it any more. Once it\u2019s written, then there is nothing left to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[51,157,253,22,18,111],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.xorph.com\/jadixon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8093"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.xorph.com\/jadixon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.xorph.com\/jadixon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.xorph.com\/jadixon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.xorph.com\/jadixon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8093"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.xorph.com\/jadixon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8093\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8806,"href":"https:\/\/www.xorph.com\/jadixon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8093\/revisions\/8806"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.xorph.com\/jadixon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8093"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.xorph.com\/jadixon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8093"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.xorph.com\/jadixon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8093"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}