Artist Statement
In 2004 I stepped off a plane in New Delhi, India into an unfamiliar world. I was awestruck. In that moment I knew travel was going to be the fuel for my path as an artist. The cows in the streets, the makeshift push carts, the bustling rickshaws, the textile markets…the all-encompassing culture was magnificent. Inspiration was instant.
I absorbed my surroundings like a sponge and immediately felt a surge of artistic energy. Being there pulled me into different ways of seeing.
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Travel shakes up my routine, triggering a mental reset that frees up my creativity. I gain new perspectives by experiencing a tapestry of cultures and environments I would never encounter otherwise. My imagination expands and my emotions deepen, affecting how I think and create. By cultivating empathy, appreciation, and an understanding of cultural differences, I continually expand my ability to grow as an artist. Each journey comes with rich content, and my motivation is to process, express, and share the stories I wish to tell.
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Back at home, mixed media is my go-to. It allows the unique personality of my work to be unmistakably “Eleanor.” Painting, printmaking and drawing are the skills. Scratching paint, layering paper, and gluing elements such as cheesecloth are the textures. Content comes from studying hundreds of photographs, allowing me to create my own visual vocabulary for reference. Spontaneity and playfulness are the goal. And then whatever happens happens, from the moment I begin to the moment I make the last mark. My creative journey is a process that is unpredictable and surprising to
the finish.
Biography
Eleanor Dickinson is a mixed media artist and world traveler whose work is inspired by her experiences with the unfamiliarity across other cultures. Her art blends painting, drawing, collage, and printmaking—such as screenprinting, watercolor monotypes, and collagraphs. She holds a BA in Art History from Sweet Briar College in Virginia and an MFA in Printmaking from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. She also completed a rigorous two-year Graphic Design program at Portfolio Center in Atlanta, Georgia. Later Eleanor worked as an Art Director for VSA Partners in Chicago, Illinois.
Eleanor now lives in Little Rock, Arkansas where she has held
several solo exhibitions. In addition, she taught at the Museum of Fine Arts in Little Rock, AR, volunteered with non-profits, and now offers instruction from her private studio. Eleanor is presently creating a new body of work inspired by her recent travels through Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand.
