Up the Channel
collage en plein air by J A Dixon
art size: 9.25 x 7.375 inches
framed: 16.75 x 13.75 inches
available to collectors
Archive for the ‘Thematic Series’ Category
“Up the Channel” now available
Tuesday, December 3rd, 2024A 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
Collage in the U.P.
Monday, September 30th, 2024 
Spent a chunk of September “painting in papers” while in the Les Cheneaux Islands. This recent method of pasting collage ingredients over a crude charcoal sketch really started to grow on me.
Here is an interim stage of completion for “Up the Channel.” The water foreground needs to be finished and softened. The shoreline can benefit from a few more details. Please stand by for the final version!
IMCAC Collage Exchange ~ Warfare Series
Saturday, April 27th, 2024
The recent Baker’s Half Dozen Collage Exchange sparked a new series of miniatures that quickly took on a warfare theme. Now to see which one the Museum retains for its permanent collection.
My eleven-part Warfare Series originated with no conscious intent nor anticipated interpretation and potentially serves as a kind of “collage rorschach.” Images that personify both the greatest evil and the highest good have always found inclusion in my collage artwork from time to time. This kind of art is very different than my representational collage, although both are based on re-using and manipulating found paper that has little, if any, intrinsic value. Juxtaposing the detritus of our culture within this practice offers creative choices about what to use and what to ignore. I continue to be interested in the complex relationship between spontaneity, intuitive judgment, and subjective awareness.
A Cyclic Occurence
Monday, June 5th, 2023“The healthiest response to life is joy.”
– Mark Twain
If we understand anything about the many strong characteristics of collage as an artistic activity, we surely know that it has significant therapeutic attributes. I came into the studio to shrug off some negative vibes and to create a pair of new miniatures for an upcoming gallery hop at nearby CAMP. Connie Beale, fellow collage artist and owner of the unique retail space, had just sold two of my paper landscapes the previous week, so replacements were in order. I wanted to use a bright palette and appealing fauna as ingredients. Could I bring a bit of delight to my disposition and to anyone who showed up to discuss the result?
Mission accomplished!
A Cyclic Crunch
collage miniature by J A Dixon
7 x 8.5 inches
available for purchase
A Cyclic Hum
collage miniature by J A Dixon
7 x 8.5 inches
available for purchase
The Lived Life: Finality
Wednesday, March 1st, 2023Three more solutions that use two Februllage prompts, plus a single-catalyst collage for the 20th and final piece. The series is finished. I even tricked myself into creating a miniature self portrait. This project has provided a stimulating acceleration into March, traditionally one of my busiest studio months of the year. See you in April!
The Lived Life: Duplicity
Wednesday, February 22nd, 2023I’ve stuck with doubling the Februllage prompts to close out this series. A few of them have pleased me conceptually from the point of completion. Many of the others still look a bit bizarre to my eye, even though they work from a distance as successful color-quantity abstractions.
The Lived Life: Adaptability
Monday, February 13th, 2023In order to preserve more time for the completion of plein-air landscapes, it’s necessary to reduce the Februllage series, and so I’ve started “doubling up” on the catalyzing prompts. Apparently the impetus for Merz has been formulating for awhile. The classical methodology can dominate my workload if permitted. So far, this series has been a stimulating experiment with distinctly surreal tones. It’s interesting to notice a boost in manual dexterity when I increase the pace of intuitive assembly. Instead of getting “sloppier,” I tend to tighten up and attune to mechanical and compositional precision, even as the juxtapositions become more illogical. I never run out of steam with this medium.
Such a splendid blend of craft and psychological dynamics!
The Lived Life: Priority
Wednesday, February 8th, 2023Daily collage miniatures at this level have a way of elbowing their way into a sense of one’s studio priorities. If I don’t accommodate a comprehensive intensity that includes appropriate progress on my landscapes, a February mid-course correction will be in order.
![](http://www.xorph.com/jadixon/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Dixon_TLL5_Dignity.jpg" "The Lived Life: Dignity ~ J A Dixon ~ Februllage prompt = cloth")
![](http://www.xorph.com/jadixon/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Dixon_TLL_Tenacity.jpg" "The Lived Life: Tenacity ~ J A Dixon ~ Februllage prompt = cactus")
The Lived Life ~ a new series prompted by Februllage
Saturday, February 4th, 2023My intention was to boost intensity in the studio, so I began a new series in the Merz tradition. Each piece is based on daily Februllage prompts. The hypothesis: by keeping myself even busier, I’ll get more achieved this month than the artwork directly related to the series ritual. View the first four pieces. Check back to see if my plan works.
March Ex(plosion) | Twenty-Eighth Collage
Sunday, March 28th, 2021
Never Had No Nothin’
collage miniature by J A Dixon
6.25 x 9 inches
from my Series of Rock
available for purchase