Who is Jen Dixon?
This is the part of the site where I tell you about a bunch of the cool stuff I’ve done over the years, and get to awkwardly write about it in the third-person because that’s what you do on about pages.
Jen is a multi-disciplinary artist & art educator, specialising in both abstract & figurative work.
Originally from Indiana, she is American-British (dual citizen) and lives rurally on the North Cornwall coast of England.
Her work covers everything from graffiti-influenced illustration and mixed media abstracts, to more traditional painting and drawing.
She enthusiastically believes in following your ideas, trying everything and taking risks in art.
Her art is in private collections around the world.
Jen’s work is sometimes humorous, often autobiographical, and frequently involves a chaos-into-order theme.
An Industrial Designer by degree, her process oscillates between discipline and discovery.
She rarely begins her work with a conscious idea or sketch, instead jumping in with marks and smudges until a direction emerges.
Multiple works often develop simultaneously from the same palette. Seizures of lines on one work may become fields of tranquility on another. Jen’s philosophy is simple: The only way to waste paper is to not use it.
There is no muse, only work ethic.
Get up, do the work. Make the marks.
Jen taught her first drawing classes at the age of six. She has spent a lifetime moonlighting as an art tutor to groups and individuals of all ages, which led her to teaching nearly 90,000 students online as a Skillshare Top Teacher.
You may have seen her demonstrating in a couple of Peggy Dean’s online events in recent years.
Or interviewed for other events.
She also works with Daler-Rowney on various things, and you can find her profile and demo videos on their site.
Jen has worked as a muralist, a corporate district display artist for former national retail giant Musicland Group (US), and a commissions painter. Once skilled in pre-press and web development, Jen left tech (mostly) behind and has been making a living as a full-time artist since 2011.
Her favourite dead artists include: Picasso, Warhol, Haring, Frankenthaler, Mitchell, Basquiat, Schiele, Twombly, Bacon, Albers, and Lanyon.
When she’s not drawing, painting, illustrating, or writing, she plays video games, cooks (and loves to cook for others), sings loudly, and is probably spilling tea down her front.
See below for more detailed CV-style information…
Stuff I’ve Done
Exhibitions and Events:
2023: 29-30 Sept: The Cruel & Curious Sea IV Exhibition, Stowe Barton, Cornwall
2023: 2 August: Creative Club Live, Skillshare Zoom
2022: 6 December: Home Vintage Market, Bude
2022: 23-24 Sept: The Cruel & Curious Heart Exhibition, Stowe Barton, Cornwall
2022: 8 July: Live performance painting at B Side Social Club, Bude (process video here)
2022: Feb-Mar: Creative Retreat Live online demonstration with Peggy Dean
2021: 5-11 December: ArtWork Creative Productivity online event guest speaker
2021: August: Summer Creative Retreat online demonstration with Peggy Dean
2021: 18 May: Skillshare Live event via Zoom (tbc for replay publication)
2020: Virtual Pride online demonstration with Peggy Dean: YouTube link to classes
2020: January: Workshop for international Fila Group management meeting, plus filmed demonstrations for promotions, Daler-Rowney HQ, Berkshire
2019: 2 Aug: Live performance painting at B Side Social Club, Bude
2019: 4 Feb – April: The Cruel & Curious Sea III extension solo exhibition, National Trust Café, Boscastle
2018: 5 Oct: Live performance painting at B Side Social Club, An Mor, Bude
2018: 28 – 29 Sept: The Cruel & Curious Sea III Exhibition, Stowe Barton, Cornwall
2018: 3 Aug: Live performance painting at B Side Social Club, An Mor, Bude
2018: 8 June: Live performance painting at B Side Social Club, An Mor, Bude
2018: 4 May: Live performance painting at B Side Social Club, An Mor, Bude
2017: 10 – 29 June: “Excavation / Exploration” Willoughby Gallery solo exhibition at The Castle, Bude
2016: 23 – 24 Sept: The Cruel & Curious Sanctuary Exhibition, Stowe Barton, Cornwall
2016: 28 May – 5 June: Open Studios Cornwall 2016 – Crackington Haven, Cornwall
2015: 9 Dec: Trewin Design Architects Pop-Up Exhibition, Holsworthy, Devon
2015 Dec – 2016 Jan: Cruel and Curious Hinterland extension solo exhibition, National Trust Café, Boscastle
2015: Work available through Wadebridge Art, Wadebridge, Cornwall
2015: 25 – 26 Sept: The Cruel & Curious Hinterland Exhibition, Stowe Barton, Cornwall
2015: 23 May – 31 May: Open Studios Cornwall 2015 – Crackington Haven, Cornwall
2015: 24 April – 14 May: “Containing Chaos” Willoughby Gallery solo exhibition at The Castle, Bude.
2015: 24 April – 7 May: “Containing Chaos” Blanchminster Gallery solo exhibition at The Castle, Bude.
2014 – 2015: Representation by Market House Gallery, Marazion, Cornwall
2014: Open Studios, Cornwall
2013: Semi-finalist, Royal West of England Academy 161st Annual Exhibition, Bristol *
2013: St Gennys Art Exhibition, Cornwall
2012: Semi-finalist, Royal West of England Academy Autumn Exhibition, Bristol *
2012: St Gennys Art Exhibition, Cornwall
2009: Art on the Street event, Maidenhead, Berkshire
Teaching:
2020 - current: bespoke online demonstrations and private tuition, live and recorded
2020: Product/technique promotional demonstrations for Daler-Rowney [demo 1, demo 2, demo 3]
2016 – current: Skillshare.com Top Teacher with 87,000+ global students, and millions of minutes watched across 18 specialist classes (Top Teachers represent the top 1% of all Skillshare teachers)
2015: Abstract Expressionism lecture and workshop, St Marks C of E School, Morwenstow, Cornwall
2011 – 2014: Wooda Farm, Life Drawing weekly class, Cornwall
2011 – 2020: private art tutor, in-person, Cornwall
2012: Beginning Drawing at Crackington Institute, Cornwall
2012: Life Drawing at Crackington Institute, Cornwall
2012: Expressive Drawing Classes at Boscastle National Trust, Cornwall
2012: Brockhill Chapel, Still Life Drawing weekly class, Cornwall
1993: Private tutor, figurative drawing, Pennsylvania
1988 – 1990: General art instruction tuition for early teens, Indiana
Internal Fila Group workshop at Daler-Rowney headquarters, Berkshire, UK 2020
Adjusting a painting during a solo exhibition at the Willoughby Gallery.
Degree / Formal Education:
1990 – 1992: Industrial Design, Art Institute of Pittsburgh
Collections:
Private collections in United Kingdom, Europe, and United States
Life Modelling:
2012 – 2017: Private painting group hire
2012 – 2017: Wooda Farm
2013: Plymouth University
Miscellaneous Recognition and Articles:
2022: Artist Interview shelleyskail.co.uk
2020: Daler-Rowney Partner Artist
2019: Why Line Art Drawing May Be Your Next Favorite Creative Practice
2014: Using the Jackson’s Bespoke Frame Builder by Jen Dixon
2014: Jen Dixon Uses Jackson’s Picture Varnishes
2014: Featured artist interview on The Palette Pages, 11 March
2013: Cult Pens Artist of the Month – December 2013
2011: RedBubble Featured Artist – May 2011
Other North Cornwall Area Activities:
2011 – 2016: Set painting and design for Craven Players productions
2011 - 2013: Annual Wooda Life Drawing student exhibition
Notable Design, Web Development, and Illustration Clients:
Dennis Publishing, Rio Tinto, Bluebell Media, BTPodshow, Mevio, Absinthe-Shop, Pragmatika, Fishlight Ltd, Cleverbodies, Wooda Farm, Crackington Village Shop
Additional Skills:
1997 – 2004: Digital Pre-press Technician, print specialist
1996 – current: Writing, Copywriting, Editing
Did you know that a baby puffin is called a "puffling?" It’s true.