 |
Vera
Dickerson Featured at the Arts Depot
|
Nationally Recognized Artist
Vera Dickerson Featured at the Arts Depot
Abingdon, VA: Opening on October
3, 2004 in Abingdon Arts Depot's juried Spotlight Gallery is a watercolor
exhibit by Botetourt County, VA artist Vera Dickerson. An opening reception
will be held on Sunday, October 3rd from 2 - 4 PM, and the show will continue
through November 13, 2004. This reception and show are free and open to the
public.
Vera's show is a group
of mostly watercolor paintings, realistic and abstract, of images from her
travels through Ireland, England, Scotland, Wales, and the New England coast.
As travel is one of her passions, she has entitled her show "Travels
form the Heart".
"Blue Bell
Hills"
"Water Meadow"
|
Vera has
always been interested in art and began drawing in her early childhood.
Her mother painted and many times you would find Vera and her brother
drawing on paper with pencils and crayons while sitting on their kitchen
floor while her mother used the table. These early drawing sessions
progressed to scribbles in books, sketchbooks, then more formal drawings
and finally from models. She always drew people, and you will find some
sprinkled through her paintings. Vera believes that beauty is everywhere,
and thus her subject matter has quite a range. She says, "I truly
believe it's NOT what you paint, it's HOW you paint it. If the artist
isn't interested in the painting, no viewer will be either". Vera
uses her travel journals, personal experiences, photographs, memories,
and dreams as the substance for translation into her paintings. Once
even her bouts of insomnia led to the creation of a "Midnight Walkers"
series.
Vera followed
her childhood dream by completing a BA in Art from Radford University
and furthered her education with a Master of Fine Arts degree from American
University in Washington, DC. That led to a teaching job at a small college
in the Finger Lakes area of upstate New York. A couple of years later
she moved to the Roanoke area and taught art at Virginia Western Community
College. It was here that she and some friends came up with an idea about
a school that would inspire artists without the formality and pressure
of grades. Vera left the community college to start the Studio School
in 1990. The school is presently located in Roanoke's Jefferson Center
and Vera continues to be the Director as well as being a full time artist
and teacher. She receives great satisfaction from the more than 100 students
that attend the school each year and says that "our ongoing groups
of artists continue to challenge me to be fresh, to find new ways to express
ideas and a variety of technical approaches to add interest to our art".
|
Vera is a very
accomplished artist recognized nationwide. She has been juried into numerous
exhibits, including the very exclusive and elusive national Watercolor
Society and American Watercolor Society shows. Recently she was given
"Signature Status" with the American Watercolor Society that
has been around since the 1800's. This extremely exclusive recognition
is only given to a very few watercolorists each year. Vera has held over
30 one-person shows, and has exhibited in more that 50 other shows, winning
awards in most of them. Her exhibits have covered the United States from
New York to California, including Colorado, Kentucky, and Florida to mention
a few and of course, Virginia. Locally, she has received awards in the
Virginia Highlands Juried Fine Arts Show almost every year since 1967.
Vera's work hangs in many private and corporate collection including Clarion
Hotels, Marriott Corporation, Miller Brewing Company, and Nationsbank.
Vera has been listed in "Who's Who in American Art" since 1986,
and is a member and past president of the Virginia Watercolor Society.
As if painting and leading the Studio School wasn't enough, Vera teaches
watermedia workshops all over the country and she and her husband conduct
artist tours to Canada and the British Isles. |
"Island
Retreat"
|