Shirley Dickie Artist Biography
Educational Content
Generally Self-Taught
Generally I am a self-taught artist. My art educational training comes from life experience. I 
have been art-making since grade school. So I have been an artist for the past 40 years; practicing as a professional artist since 1996. I have received numerous and participated in a large amount of art exhibitions both locally and internationally. As an educational component to my website I share my story to encourage emerging artist.
Self-Representing Artist Information
Art making has been a major activity in my life, in fact, I don't remember a time that I wasn't actively creating paintings. I have been represented by a variety of galleries and now am self-representing in my own educational online art gallery, www.dickieart.com.
Intuitive Artist Information
Composition, colour and form come naturally to me. I paint intuitively often creating work as I go along. In my I paint images that have appeared in my dreams and meditations. The composition and colour are decided during the painting process itself.
My Abstract Work - educational
In my abstract work, I paint my feelings which usually manifest as complex and intricate marks, lines, colour and image. I feel I am a complex person and reach deeply within myself to express my complexity, sometimes revealing an unknown side or shadow side of myself. Others can and do identify with these paintings because they are universal to our times. Our times are complex, people today operate as multi-thinkers, using the brain to solve problems, live life and dwell on spiritual principles all at the same time. It is no wonder that we are embracing a universal language based on image and word.
Life Lessons
In my "Search for Self Collection" I examined my aloofness to life, it was as if I was just observing myself living. It took several paintings to break through this abstract living mode in which I found myself. The last painting in the series is called "Death of an Artist". It was after that work that I found I brought to my paintings a more authentic creator. More focused, more mindful, more aware.
Female Archetypes
In the "Women's Room" gallery I explore female archetypes. It was during this time I was reading "Women Who Dance With Wolves". Several of the stories in the book inspired me to create works that represent my own archetypical behaviors/influences producing work such as "The Dance is Over" and "Saboteur". "The Unmothered Mother" is a piece that expresses my own unmother mother and my own unmothered mothering. Other women identify strongly to these paintings because of the strong symbolism and conflict/joy subtleties.
Art as Experience
I won't go through all on my collections, but suffice to say that my work represents my experience and in doing so represents the experience of others. The images themselves hold the power to heal, reveal, and care for the people who see them. I bring an honesty and straight forwardness to my patrons that is often greatly appreciated. But the most thankful person involved is myself....
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