"There is magic in our world, every sunrise, fluttering leaf, and the most brilliant meadow flowers. I paint what takes my breath away." Artist Lucy Dickens’s passion is to bring nature’s grandeur forth in her story-like approach to landscape painting. Gazing into one of Lucy's landscapes is similar to traveling into another time when all is serene and peaceful. Lucy is the daughter of a professional photographer father and an accomplished watercolorist mother. Her creative parents introduced her to the concept that art can capture the beauty of the natural world. She was encouraged to observe the natural world's smallest details and subtle colors in creating her art. Lucy states, "From the first time I put brush to canvas, I knew this is what I was supposed to be doing; this is who I am." Throughout her childhood, Lucy's family explored pristine wilderness areas nationally and internationally, backpacking, hiking, and camping their way through inspiration into inevitable creation.
Lucy’s family moved from Michigan to Phoenix, Arizona, when she was three. The family's passion for the outdoors became the foundation for building her successful fine arts career. Lucy has long held the Hudson River Valley artists Thomas Cole and Frederic Edwin Church up as examples of using oils to develop the illusion of ethereal light and shadow within landscapes. Her technique of selecting an image and transforming it into a pictorial narrative while conveying a sense of tranquility has become her signature style. Lucy explains, “There is a story in these individual windows of time, a place where the viewer may find peace, serenity, and a feeling of grace; I consider myself a Fine Art Storyteller.” A sense of the divine draws her deeply and influences each of her creations.
Lucy describes her process, "Before I put brush to canvas, I experience the subject I am painting." Her paintings focused on landscapes, botanicals, and wildlife; a shared life experience inspires each with that subject. "Not only do I experience each scene, I also capture it in my mind and heart, giving it new life by sharing my interaction with each moment. My mission is to transfer the feelings associated with the subject into my work." She says, "This allows viewers to feel as if they are on a journey each time they are in front of one of my paintings." Lucy identifies these as magic moments expressed through her work and her deep faith in God. "I am called to bring beauty, light, hope, and inspiration through my work."
In addition to honing her observation skills, Lucy is continually refining and expanding her painting techniques by attending the Scottsdale Artists' School in Scottsdale, Arizona. The fundamentals of the art business can be challenging. To help her handle that end of her business, Lucy is guided by the local master of marketing, Jason Horejs of Xanadu Gallery in Scottsdale. After all, there is more to being a successful fine artist than creating an inspired product.
Recently, Lucy has included an additional challenge to her palette of creativity in the form of authoring her first book, Through the Fire: Traveling the Broken Road to Hope and Healing. In this memoir, Lucy expresses her journey through the pain and trauma of life's most challenging moments in the medium of words. She shares her motivation, "My prayer is in transparently sharing my story, others will find hope, healing, and restoration, so they may not just overcome but thrive." Truly a creation inspired by love for the benefit of the broken-hearted, helping others find their peace and healing.
"My mission is to transfer the feelings associated with the subject into my work. This allows viewers to feel as if they are on a journey each time they are in front of one of my paintings."
Today Lucy creates from her home studio and gallery in Carefree, Arizona. Her work is the recipient of numerous awards and recognition in publications, such as nominated for the Phoenix Magazine for Best Artist of the Valley and Phoenix Home and Garden Best Artist of the Valley. She also has appeared in Images AZ, Shout-Out Arizona, Voyage Phoenix, American Art Collector, and Southwest Art, to name a few. The medium of television media outlets has included Lucy's work in various segments over the last few years. Lucy enjoys the patronage of collectors across the country and is represented by Xanadu Gallery in Scottsdale and Pinetop, Arizona. She is a member of the Sonoran Arts League and exhibits throughout the year in juried expeditions with a number of professional organizations. She has a unique approach to exhibitions; as a storyteller, she shares the inspiration that created that particular scene with each painting. "There is a story evolving around us; I hope to inspire others through my images and words." In the creative world of artist Lucy Dickens, there is always more to the story.
Email: lucy@lucydickensfineart.com
Website: www.lucydickensfineart.com
