Marie Dixon

My current exhibit, Family, in my MGM gallery and studio at 4204 Thistledown, Fair Oaks, highlights the inspiration for my early art with five images of my father, mother, sister, and brother who have passed away. Throughout 2018-2020, family and friends who attend the exhibit are given the opportunity of hearing the aural history tapes of my father’s life as they see the six foot drawings in mixed media on watercolor paper and sculptures of the artists in 1950’s-1960’s who were part of my genealogy. As my guests hear the stories behind each art work, they may be enjoying high tea or for larger groups a nacho bar filled with homemade salsa and chili beans and a gift of my early work may be selected. Just call 916-205-9861 or email me at marie.dixon.art @gmail.com to make an appointment.

With my study of art history, I have come to understand I am not a painter, sculptor or printmaker, I am a community artist who from an early age was guided by social practice as an art, and valued the importance of “engagement through human interaction and discourse.”  While working in both visual and performing art in many different media, painting, sculptor, performance and installation, print making, and fabric art, I am featured in site specific locations such as American River College Dance Studio, Stockton Yoga Center, Nonaca Healing in Arrowhead, and my personal studio in Fair Oaks. These are all permanent installations which evolved through my personal interactions starting in 2007. In addition, I curated a month long collaborative exhibit highlighting the founders and leaders of the Sacramento Fine Arts Center in April 2014 in the Robert Else Gallery during the Sacramento State Festival of the Arts.

Currently I have been exploring intaglio print making by sketching and etching my plates while on location at the Sacramento State Dance Department and the folklorico dancers from the Instituto Mazatlan de Bellas Artes. The artist who inspired this work is Lily Aguilar, my first dance teacher in East Los Angeles, when I was five years old and who later worked with me as the Dance Supervisor for the County of Los Angeles Parks and Recreation. She brought free dance lessons to thousands of children during her lifetime in the parks and recreation centers.

My work is influenced by issues that are important to society such as hunger, children in adoption, foster, or homeless conditions, and health and wellness and  has a gestural and expressive quality which is adapted to all media.  I am an artist who likes to work from memory creating forms and shapes in a quick and expressive gestural style. The opportunity to share my art, especially my new series of prints at the ACAI Gallery as a member will be the highlight of the coming year.

Sketch by Marie Dixon