Life & Work with Daisy-Anne Dickson

Today we’d like to introduce you to Daisy-Anne Dickson.

Hi Daisy-Anne, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I found my love of creating early in life — in fact, I remember the exact moment in my 1st-grade art class when I decided it was something I loved. I continued to learn and create and went on to study oil painting in college, graduating in 2004 from Oglethorpe University here in Atlanta. However, I was not able to find a way, at that time in my life, to devote myself to it full-time. So, I went back to school to become a nurse, as well as start and raise a family. During this time I was always creating, on my own time and taking private commissions–usually of portraits. It was not until a few years ago, in the fall of 2019 and right before the pandemic, that I decided I was at a point in my life where I wanted to make my dream of being a full-time artist a reality.

When the pandemic started, it threw the role of art in my life into a whole other world it had never been before. I moved away from portrait and self-portrait narratives and discovered my love of intuitive abstract painting. Creating my art became an act of healing, reflection and meditation that I so desperately needed working as a nurse in the ER, and especially during a global pandemic. I now concentrate my abstract work on incorporating salvaged materials to create what I describe as stories — stories about brokenness, healing and restoration. I feel this marries two of my core beliefs: that beauty can be found all around us–in the broken, neglected and discarded; and my love of nature and conservation efforts to reduce our negative impact on the Earth. Some examples of the materials I salvage include latex paints, salvaged antique frames, fabrics, spray paints, old photos, magazines and book pages.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
My journey with art has not been a smooth road for me — it has been at times very hard to even find the next step. I had years where I was not able to create or work on my art for months or nearly entire years at a time. Then, when I decided I would pursue this dream, I became plagued with doubts if I was too old to “start again” at nearly 40 years old. I have had to navigate an entirely different world of art than the one I was taught to understand in my college years. The image of the “starving artist” is being disassembled more every day, while more and more artists are able to represent themselves and make a livable income with the growth of social media and online shopping. I am working every day to overcome these obstacles and only when I look back to where I started a few short years ago do I realize how far I’ve actually come.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a painter just outside of Atlanta, creating intuitive and expressionistic abstracts that convey stories of brokenness, healing and restoration. I incorporate salvaged materials into my work to emphasize the concept that beauty can be found in anything–even the broken, neglected and discarded. For me, that act of creating is a process of healing, reflection and meditation that grounds me. I often describe my work as abstracted narratives, as they are all rooted in stories of my own life and experiences. Each abstracted narrative is comprised of multiple layers with rich texture, movement and balance.

My proudest moment, by far, was hearing my daughter tell me how proud she is of me. I am proud of myself, also, for pursuing my passion and dream–setting that example for her. That there is no expiration date on dreams, and we are never too old or “too late” to try. I think this is all part of what sets me apart from others.

We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
Yes, I most definitely have learned some important lessons due to the Covid Crisis. I feel I have learned and been shown–through my art–how important it is to care for our own emotional and mental health, in order to better care for others. I feel like I have also learned how to reach and connect with others on a deeper and more emotional level, because of my unique experiences as both an ER nurse during this pandemic and as an artist. Because of the pandemic, I often reflect on the fact that being a healer is a huge role in my life — as a nurse, a mother and an artist.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.daisyanne.art
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/daisyanne.art
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/daisyanne.art
• Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/daisyanneart

Image Credits:
Photo credit: Daisy-Anne Dickson, self portrait