Introducing Eleanor (Home)
An Introduction to the Artist
The Fires Within
“If drawing is of the Spirit and color of the Senses, you must draw first, to cultivate the Spirit and to be able to lead color into spiritual paths” – Henri Matisse, 1948,
“Life is not a spectacle or a feast; it is a predicament”- Santayana,
“There are three professional qualities that have stood out for me in the character of the artist Eleanor Dickinson over the thirty years that I have known her.
“Those are the fearlessness of her artistic curiosity, the dedication she displays to her chosen path as an artist, and her generosity of spirit as an inspirational teacher and mentor to others.
“You can take Eleanor out of the South, but you cannot take the South out of Eleanor. Her relaxed and gentle demeanor, emanating from her Tennessee roots, is often at odds with the uncompromising and challenging subject matter and expressionistic technique of her art. This is not a new or evolving tendency in her art but a continuation of a moral viewpoint that has informed her creativity since the set up of her first studio in San Francisco in 1954. The popularity or “beauty contest” qualities of the art world where artists pander to collectors, museums and dealers through premeditated strategies of subject matter or style mean nothing to her.
“For Dickinson, her art is about the power of drawing to express human emotion from ecstatic joy to profound pathos. Her art is always informed by her intellect but she does something so rare among artists today and that is to allow her heart to dictate and dominate.
“The art of Eleanor Dickinson is courageous and kind, outspoken and, at times, not afraid to exhibit outrage. As an artist, she is to be admired for her considerable skill. As a woman artist she should serve as a role model for displaying those characteristics of dexterity, diplomacy and determination over a long career in the service of her art and her community.”
[i] Ian Crofton, ed. A Dictionary of Art Quotations. New York, Schirmer Books; 1988, 56.
[ii] W.H. Auden and Louis Kronenberger, ed. A Viking Book of Aphorisms. New York, Dorret Press; 1981, 9.
© Eleanor Dickinson 1970-2009
Looks great. Happy Birthday.
Love Pete
pete dickinson
February 7, 2008 at 8:21 pm
Awesome website Grandma!
Love,
Lynda, Daniel
Lynda dickinson
February 7, 2008 at 8:29 pm
We visited your home when my husband was a student at the SF Art Institutem in the late sixties. I loved your representation of the music of Tennessee. I remember your “postmaster desk” and your lovely hospitality. I live in Texas now and found your website while looking for something else….such serendipity. Bravo for an incredible artist.
Mary V. Dickerson
February 15, 2008 at 8:32 am
Hi Eleanor,
This is great! I am glad you did it – your website. Your biographic interview was interesting. I not only have respect and admiration for your art but for your process.
Look forward towards drawing with you soon,
Gabriel
Gabriel Castillo
February 24, 2008 at 12:49 pm
Happy birthday and congratulations on your web site. You are a true original and a hella draftsperson!
Barb
March 4, 2008 at 9:31 am
I was perusing the WCA site and pleased to see you have one up!
You are also on the COMMA Gallery site and considered a Virtual Artist (in spirit)…
what ya been working on? send detail!
All the best
Karen
Karen
July 2, 2008 at 2:16 pm
Hi Ms. Dickinson;
Recently I purchased a painting in Austin TX. It was an oil/acrylic portrait of a young black man and the tag on it indicated it the artist was ‘Dickinson’ painted in the 1950’s, and I was wondering if you were the artist. I’d like to forward a picture I took of the painting for you to view to confirm. My email address is noted above; if you could contact me, I would appreciate it.
Thanks,
Valerie
Valerie Bardy
November 25, 2008 at 7:53 am
Congratulations! It’s a wonderful website.
Arnitta Lawson
May 18, 2009 at 10:24 am