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ARTIST'S STATEMENT I enjoy deconstructing ordinary concepts, the things we are used to seeing in only one way. Objects and ideas whose beauty and intrigue we may have become immune to. When they are reconstructed in an abstract manner, form is allowed to flow freely without the constraint of the accepted norm, and the viewer is invited to rediscover the ordinary object in a different way. My sculptures and paintings are intended to engage the viewer visually, and will hopefully inspire them to challenge the familiar. ARTIST'S BIOGRAPHY Steel is my love, for its possibilities are endless. Hammered, melted, heated, and welded. Though it is cold and hard, with the proper persuasion the steel becomes warm and alive. – Mark Dickson. Dickson's grandmother set the early example: she was a collector of art and a museum docent. She commissioned works by San Francisco abstract sculptor Peter Macchiarini. Dickson was fascinated by these designs. He wanted to know for example, how shapes were contrived. As a young adult he sought jobs that involved creative design and skillful construction, such as landscaping, theatre prop design, and metal fabrication. He began sculpting with steel while attending "Art and Metal Design", a course held at Sierra College in Rockland, CA. under Professor Jim Devore. He draws on knowledge acquired from independent studies in metal design, fabrication, casting, foundry methods, and blacksmithing. Three influences are; Professors Jim Devore of Sierra College in California, Charles Hook Professor of Sculpture at Florida State University, and Master Craftsman Jerry Grice. Dickson and his wife live in Tallahassee, where he has a working studio. Dickson starts with concepts like form, negative space, and abstract suggestion. Then guided by themes like; music, flight, wind, water, machinery, and even personal guardians, he shapes freestanding or pedestal-mounted sculptures. He combines shapes to form a single piece of singular emotional influence. He’s always looking for the perfect shape to achieve that. During assembly, as new shape possibilities emerge, the sculptor experiments with the emerging ideas. The arc of the welder binds it together. The result is a realization of the beauty of the abstract form. His fluid large-scale pieces are appropriate for landscape architecture. His sense of tight design and light abstraction suit the contemporary style, for interiors ranging from compact to expansive. Dickson is a native of northern California and a resident of Tallahassee for nine years, where he has a working studio. |
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