Following an accelerated nursing program before the world would be turned upside down, Daisy-Anne Dickson saw herself on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic in March of 2020. After many long nights and lost battles in the emergency room where she worked, Dickson turned to her hobby of painting, but found that most of the art she had been used to creating was not a match to what she was truly feeling. She struggled to communicate the emotional toll the pandemic was taking on her through her usual portraits. Abstract art became the outlet she found herself most comforted by; representational art wasn’t cutting it anymore. The result is a body of work that is both raw in its emotions, yet healing in its discernable catharsis. This week’s Maker Monday is Daisy-Anne Dickson, artist extraordinaire.
Andrew Joseph: You’re the newest Crayola color. What color are you and why?
Daisy-Anne Dickson: Oh, this is easy— a deep, dark lush green that looks almost black— like the deepest parts of a rainforest or jungle. I’d want the color name to be exactly that: “Lush”! I have never wanted to just live but have aspired to thrive and live a lush life. Just like a jungle, I want a life full of growth, beauty and vitality. But jungles are also perfectly balanced, self-contained ecosystems— providing vital shelter to so much wildlife, fresh air and quiet, restorative solitude. I honestly could not think of a better color crayon to be— I’m tempted to call Crayola and pitch it now!
AJ: If you could be any animal in the world, what animal would you be and why?
DAD: As a mom to 6 rescued cats who are absolutely spoiled, I would have to immediately go with that! I am always looking at them laying around my house, in these amazingly cozy spots they manage to find, thinking, “man! that is the life!” The thing about a rescued spoiled house cat is I would have seen enough of this scary, crazy world to live very happily and contently in my warm, dry, safe home where I’m constantly sleeping in spots of sunshine, snuggled and fed.
AJ: Describe your design style as if you were explaining it to someone who cannot see.
DAD: I think my work, being richly textured and highly layered, would make very interesting tactile exhibitions. So, I honestly don’t think much else of a description would be needed. I think touching my paintings could convey so much– the crevices, chasms, cracks and craters in the paint, along with a great sweeping movement. All of this could be interpreted very well by touch alone. In fact, one of the most common questions people ask me when they see my work in person is if it’s ok to touch them! They practically beg to be touched and that is very intentional on my part. I’d like to think my work would make a beautiful pattern and language of their own that would be known to whoever was touching them.
AJ: What’s one thing people don’t know about you?
DAD: Probably how much of a workout fanatic I am. I did various forms of martial arts for a long time, competing as an amateur in Muay Thai Kickboxing/MMA. I am also an avid long-distance runner— my longest race so far being an ultra-marathon which was 50k in the Blue Ridge Mountains. It had an elevation change of 6,000 feet, rained the entire time and took me 9.5hrs to complete! Currently, I’m all about Crossfit at my gym, American Top Team Lima in Duluth, GA.
AJ: What are you most proud of?
DAD: I don’t even have to think about this one. I am most proud of my 10-year-old daughter. I get to watch her grow into one of the most caring, kind, strong, smart, and hilarious people I’ve ever known— and I am so incredibly proud of her. She is pretty damn amazing.
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