Artist Statement

Self-taught visionary artist Carl Dixon was born on September 29th, 1960 in Jackson, Mississippi. Since childhood, Dixon withheld a strong desire to create. In his early teens, Dixon’s friend Benny Oliver introduced him to the process of art-making. Together, the duo would make prints for their fellow neighborhood kids. Along with being the first black student to take an art course in his newly integrated high school, Dixon’s work remained notable among his teachers and peers.

Carl began creating art in the mid-70s after practicing 15 years of brick masonry. In 1978, he developed his individualistic style of painting on woodcarvings. Dixon’s occupational background contributed to his domestic taste and value of craftsmanship. For Dixon, creating art is a spiritual practice. Through his sculpted wood-panel paintings, he shares the word of healing and love in an effort to leave the audience with hope. The wood panels serve not only as durable canvases but as compelling entities that help navigate the viewer into a memorable silence.

In 1991, Carl was diagnosed with colon cancer. Since then, he has been active in chemotherapy. Although the doctors we able to get the cancer down from a 4 to a 1.5, it has spread to his pancreas. However tough his trials and testings may be, Carl Dixon’s faith and hope transcend the tribulations as he remains a dedicated man to the word of God