Spiral Sun Studio - Luminous Works of Art, LJ Dixon-Artist

A colorful world

Shawnee artist paints the Earth's splendors

By April Wilkerson
SNS Staff Writer

What attracts a person to a painting may be the very thing that moved the artist to create it.

For one Shawnee artist, her sense of wonder about the Earth manifests itself in broad brush strokes and lush colors, breathtaking landscapes and majestic animals.

"I don't think people can do art and not explore the depths of their feelings," said local artist Linda Dixon. "I think the desire to paint comes from a feeling of awe about the splendor of the world."
Dixon creates art in a variety of mediums, including oil, watercolor and acrylic painting, as well as stained glass and murals. She also is on the verge of sharing more of her talents -- and the transformational journey her art has given her -- with others. She and her husband, Toby, recently bought a large home at 627 N. Broadway for use as an art gallery and class space. After some renovations, she hopes eventually to hold shows and offer a place for ongoing exhibits.
Now seems to be the time to carve out more space in Shawnee for local artists, Dixon said, and she's excited about the possibility of her experience helping others.

Dixon is originally from California, but her "wandering feet" have taken her all over the world -- travels that came to deeply influence her art. She started traveling early because her father worked for United Airlines, and at 16, she stayed in Germany for a year as an exchange student. She remembers visiting San Francisco galleries as a child and being drawn to paintings of the ocean.

"I would stand in front of the paintings and look at the light coming through the waves," she said. "I didn't want to own the painting. I wanted to do the painting. But like a lot of kids, I had made the decision early on that I didn't have natural ability in that area.

"But that yearning was always there, even though I didn't believe I had the resources to pull off something like that."

When she married, her military husband was eventually transferred to Italy. Dixon soon encountered a class on base taught by an Italian artist. She enrolled, then discovered she was the only one in the class. A couple of lessons and a few hours later, she had created her first painting.
"I thought that maybe five years down the road I'd have a painting that I wouldn't be embarrassed about," she said. "But they put it on display to recruit people to the class. That was really a transformational thing, to change my view as a person who could not paint to one who could if I wanted to.

"I think that's what I'm ready to do now -- to help people make that transformation for themselves."

Dixon enjoys working in several mediums. She started with oil paintings in Italy, then later was introduced to stained glass art. When her husband's job brought the family to Oklahoma, she took a watercolor class because her home didn't have enough room for stained glass work. And then she discovered mural painting while taking classes at the University of Central Oklahoma. It's a medium that still captivates her.

"A painting occupies the space on the wall. It's an embellishment to whatever else is going on in the room. But a mural completely transforms the space," she said. "To see a grungy old wall transformed into something that makes people want to come into that space -- that is fantastic."
Dixon has done murals across the state, mostly with a team. They have painted block-long three-story buildings over three or four days, working from dawn to dark. Her first Shawnee mural will come soon in the dining area of the new Angie-Momma's Tea Room and Bakery in downtown Shawnee.

In her pieces, color is an important way for Dixon to express what's pushing her to paint, she said. Color grabs her attention as an artist, she said, and she infuses her subject matter with a rainbow of hues.
"Color is expressive of mood and emotion. It tells more of the story. When you're painting something, there's usually a reason for it. It means something to you on a deeper level," she said. "Color is about what's going on inside of you on an emotional level."

Dixon said she's thankful that most of her paintings feature the joy of bright colors. She loves to do landscapes, especially of scenes in her memory from Italy and other travels. However, one of her paintings is a dark castle, set against a foreboding sunset. She painted the picture as a friend was dying of breast cancer. She doesn't display it, but keeps it as a reminder of that sad part of her life.

"It helped to open my eyes to how powerful a tool for self-exploration that painting can be," she said. "Things will just come out that you don't really intend. If you step back later and look at it objectively, you will see underlying things in your life at the time."

Dixon hopes to use her entire art experience when she begins teaching classes. That includes not only her familiarity with several mediums, but helping people give themselves permission to create art.

"Sometimes we think that an artist is someone who lives in New York or Paris, wears black and is not an everyday kind of person," she said. "There's a hurdle there. But it does a community good to see our local people out there producing beautiful, quality pieces of art. I think I'll have the ability to teach the basics, then help people explore the materials to find the medium that will best convey what they want to do."

Dixon plans open houses at her new location on Feb. 19 and 26. She will hang her art so people can look at it and see if they're interested in classes. She hopes to start teaching in March after spring break.
Dixon also is one of the founders of a new artist's group that meets monthly at Benedict Street Marketplace. It is made up of a variety of local artists, as well people who simply appreciate art. Future plans include connecting artists with restaurant or business owners who want local artwork; creating a directory of artists; holding art shows; and more. The next meeting begins at 5 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 10.

Dixon and her husband have three children, who are also exhibiting artistic talents. They are Joline, a college student; Jazz, a high school freshman; and Kane, an eighth-grader.


	A colorful world Shawnee artist paints the Earth's splendors By April Wilkerson SNS Staff Writer What attracts a person to a painting may be the very thing that moved the artist to create it. For one Shawnee artist, her sense of wonder about the Earth manifests itself in broad brush strokes and lush colors, breathtaking landscapes and majestic animals. "I don't think people can do art and not explore the depths of their feelings," said local artist Linda Dixon. "I think the desire to paint comes from a feeling of awe about the splendor of the world." Dixon creates art in a variety of mediums, including oil, watercolor and acrylic painting, as well as stained glass and murals. She also is on the verge of sharing more of her talents -- and the transformational journey her art has given her -- with others. She and her husband, Toby, recently bought a large home at 627 N. Broadway for use as an art gallery and class space. After some renovations, she hopes eventually to hold shows and offer a place for ongoing exhibits. Now seems to be the time to carve out more space in Shawnee for local artists, Dixon said, and she's excited about the possibility of her experience helping others. Dixon is originally from California, but her "wandering feet" have taken her all over the world -- travels that came to deeply influence her art. She started traveling early because her father worked for United Airlines, and at 16, she stayed in Germany for a year as an exchange student. She remembers visiting San Francisco galleries as a child and being drawn to paintings of the ocean. "I would stand in front of the paintings and look at the light coming through the waves," she said. "I didn't want to own the painting. I wanted to do the painting. But like a lot of kids, I had made the decision early on that I didn't have natural ability in that area. "But that yearning was always there, even though I didn't believe I had the resources to pull off something like that." When she married, her military husband was eventually transferred to Italy. Dixon soon encountered a class on base taught by an Italian artist. She enrolled, then discovered she was the only one in the class. A couple of lessons and a few hours later, she had created her first painting. "I thought that maybe five years down the road I'd have a painting that I wouldn't be embarrassed about," she said. "But they put it on display to recruit people to the class. That was really a transformational thing, to change my view as a person who could not paint to one who could if I wanted to. "I think that's what I'm ready to do now -- to help people make that transformation for themselves." Dixon enjoys working in several mediums. She started with oil paintings in Italy, then later was introduced to stained glass art. When her husband's job brought the family to Oklahoma, she took a watercolor class because her home didn't have enough room for stained glass work. And then she discovered mural painting while taking classes at the University of Central Oklahoma. It's a medium that still captivates her. "A painting occupies the space on the wall. It's an embellishment to whatever else is going on in the room. But a mural completely transforms the space," she said. "To see a grungy old wall transformed into something that makes people want to come into that space -- that is fantastic." Dixon has done murals across the state, mostly with a team. They have painted block-long three-story buildings over three or four days, working from dawn to dark. Her first Shawnee mural will come soon in the dining area of the new Angie-Momma's Tea Room and Bakery in downtown Shawnee. In her pieces, color is an important way for Dixon to express what's pushing her to paint, she said. Color grabs her attention as an artist, she said, and she infuses her subject matter with a rainbow of hues. "Color is expressive of mood and emotion. It tells more of the story. When you're painting something, there's usually a reason for it. It means something to you on a deeper level," she said. "Color is about what's going on inside of you on an emotional level." Dixon said she's thankful that most of her paintings feature the joy of bright colors. She loves to do landscapes, especially of scenes in her memory from Italy and other travels. However, one of her paintings is a dark castle, set against a foreboding sunset. She painted the picture as a friend was dying of breast cancer. She doesn't display it, but keeps it as a reminder of that sad part of her life. "It helped to open my eyes to how powerful a tool for self-exploration that painting can be," she said. "Things will just come out that you don't really intend. If you step back later and look at it objectively, you will see underlying things in your life at the time." Dixon hopes to use her entire art experience when she begins teaching classes. That includes not only her familiarity with several mediums, but helping people give themselves permission to create art. "Sometimes we think that an artist is someone who lives in New York or Paris, wears black and is not an everyday kind of person," she said. "There's a hurdle there. But it does a community good to see our local people out there producing beautiful, quality pieces of art. I think I'll have the ability to teach the basics, then help people explore the materials to find the medium that will best convey what they want to do." Dixon plans open houses at her new location on Feb. 19 and 26. She will hang her art so people can look at it and see if they're interested in classes. She hopes to start teaching in March after spring break. Dixon also is one of the founders of a new artist's group that meets monthly at Benedict Street Marketplace. It is made up of a variety of local artists, as well people who simply appreciate art. Future plans include connecting artists with restaurant or business owners who want local artwork; creating a directory of artists; holding art shows; and more. The next meeting begins at 5 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 10. Dixon and her husband have three children, who are also exhibiting artistic talents. They are Joline, a college student; Jazz, a high school freshman; and Kane, an eighth-grader.