We met Gordon Dickinson before we knew of him as an artist, we had met at a poetry and wine evening at a local arts cafe, I instantly found him to be a joyful character, with an enigmatic personality, from that meeting I knew Gordon was special, a creative creature, it was a short time later that I realised the man we had met that night was indeed professional artist Gordon Dickinson. I asked Gordon if he would take part in the artist focus, we decided to produce a duet feature of him and his wife Toni, who is a talented artist in her own right. I can remember feeling quite excited to be visiting them at their home and studio, the visit surpassed my expectations, even on the door step and driveway there was much to see, I looked on at the curios art, it was evident that this was a home of creative expression.
Looking at Gordon’s work I found myself feeling quite overwhelmed, his paintings left me feeling almost giddy, there is a passion within his work, a rawness, a note of humour and with some of his works a feeling of chaos, but a good dizzy chaos that makes your mind spin, makes you think, Gordons paintings prod you, make you think beyond the usual politeness of art appreciation. As much as I love Gordons paintings, his sculptures I find even more fascinating, thought provoking, they command you to touch, caress them, enjoy the lines and textures. Gordon’s sculptures bring together nature from his huge birds to the strange Boids and together with industrial materials make a big impression. They seem to reflect this life we live, the balance we move through, in these so called modern times; a most recent commission of his was a magnificent sculpture he created of an ice berg, using old computer parts, perhaps a nod to the changing climate our throw away society? Gordons work has a voice and communicates itself eloquently his works are not passive in any shape or form.
Toni Dickinson I found to be a warm woman, a woman that made me feel at ease, there is a sunny feeling that glows about her, we talked for a long time, the sun shone the whole afternoon, which made the day visiting the studio all the more perfect. As I photographed Toni we continued to talk, it was a relaxing shoot, her studio felt welcoming, the portraits on the walls have a familiarity to them, yet I did not know the people who had sat for her, yet the faces held a presence of love and affection, perhaps it is Toni’s magic that she oozes into every brush stroke that brings a life force to the paintings. Meeting Toni and Gordon left me feeling rejuvenated and extremely happy and proud to be working with talented professional artists.
Together Gordon and Toni manage an organisation called No Added Sugar, they have extensively worked with the wider community and schools, by commission and resident artists, you can find out more about their work in this area by visiting their website http://www.noaddedsugar.or