Christy Dickinson

Photo by Liz Hauck https://lizhauck.com/

Artist Statement

My abstract paintings transform viewers from passive observers into active collaborators through intimate color dialogue. Each work celebrates humanity and creates joy through chromatic exploration, featuring dynamic tensions between geometric forms and gestural marks. Primary colors anchor my compositions, symbolizing harmony between physical, emotional, and intellectual experience. I examine how color and scale influence psychological well-being and viewer response. My process remains deliberately intuitive—each piece develops through organic conversation rather than predetermined outcomes. This requires embracing uncertainty and remaining receptive to evolution. Multiple works progress simultaneously in my studio, with completion revealed through the process itself. My practice represents an ongoing discovery journey where destination emerges through creation, inviting viewers to find their own meaning within vibrant chromatic relationships and expressive mark-making.

Bio

Christy Dickinson is an abstract painter based in Saint Paul, Minnesota, whose work draws profound inspiration from the architecture, land, and colors of the American Southwest. Her artistic vision was shaped during a transformative 2024 residency in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where she developed here color palette and series exploring the intersection of adobe architecture and contemporary abstract expression. She holds a Master in Liberal Studies from Hamline University and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting from the College of Visual Arts in Minnesota. Her academic foundation provides the conceptual framework for her exploration of place, memory, and cultural landscape through paint. A pivotal moment in her artistic development came through her participation in the month-long Women's Art Intensive at Saint Catherine's University in 2021. This breakthrough work motivated her to commit fully to her studio practice and pursue her artistic voice with renewed focus.

  • 2025

    12 Dec 2025 - 10 March 2026: Croixdale Senior Living Enriching Arts Program (SOLO), Bayport, MN, in partnership with the Phipps Center for the Arts in Hudson, WI
    1 Dec 2025 - 1 March 2026: Small Works of Women Artists (group), Yellow Studio, Cross River, NY
    13 Nov - 7 Feb: 10th Annual 5x5x5 Miniature Show (group), River Oaks Square Art Center, Alexandria, LA
    7 Nov - 14 Dec: Membership Exhibition (group), The Phipps Center for the Arts, Hudson, WI
    9 Oct - 15 Nov: Color Connections (group), ArtReach St. Croix, Stillwater, MN, featuring Sacred Canvas: A Day in Color and Light, a site-specific, 40 modular painting installation
    3 Oct - 17 Nov: The St. Paul Art Crawl Sampler (group), F-O-K Studios 3rd Floor Gallery, St. Paul, MN
    17 July - 6 August: The Mind’s Labyrinth (duo with L’Andrae Bradley, curated by Christy Dickinson), F-O-K Studios 3rd Floor Gallery, St. Paul, MN
    18 July - 17 August: Absolutely Abstract (group), MVA Gallery, Bethlehem, PA
    11-13 July: Solo Artist at Art Santa Fe, Santa Fe, NM
    7 June: St Anthony Park Art Festival, St Paul, MN
    6 June: First Friday Open Studio at F-O-K Studios, St. Paul, MN
    16-18 May: Art-A-Whirl at 2010 ArtBlok, Minneapolis, MN
    25-27 April: Santa Fe Collection (SOLO) St. Paul Art Crawl at F-O-K Studios, St. Paul, MN
    29 March - 30 May: Artistic KALEIDOSCOPE (group) at Burl Art Gallery, St. Paul, MN
    7 March: First Friday Open Studio at F-O-K Studios, St. Paul, MN
    7 Feb: First Friday Open Studio at F-O-K Studios, St. Paul, MN
    3 Dec - 29 Jan: Enchantment of the Soul, (SOLO) Paramount Center for the Art, St. Cloud, MN

    recent recognition

    Honorable Mention for 10th Annual 5x5x5 Miniature Show (group), River Oaks Square Art Center, Alexandria, LA (November 2025)
    Member of Redwood Art Collective at Art Santa Fe (July 2025)
    Honorable Mention for Redwood Art Prize with Artexpo New York (March 2025)

    2024

    6-7 Dec: First Friday & Saturday Open Studio at F-O-K Studios, St. Paul, MN
    2-22 Dec: Small Works: An Element of Celebration! (group), Sedona Arts Center, Sedona, AZ
    22 Nov - 10 Dec: Small Works Exhibition (group), 80 Santa Fe Art Gallery, Overland Park, KS
    8 Nov - 5 Jan: Color Burst Exhibition at Overt Space Gallery (group), Stoughton, WI
    8 Nov - 4 Dec: Artistry’s 48th Annual Members’ Juried Art Exhibition (group), Bloomington, MN
    1 Nov: First Friday Open Studio at F-O-K Studios, St. Paul, MN
    4-6 October: St. Paul Art Crawl at F-O-K Studios, St. Paul, MN
    21-22 September: Lakeville Arts Festival, Lakeville, MN
    7-8 September: Riverfront Arts Festival, Northfield, MN
    6 September: First Friday, F-O-K Studios, St. Paul, MN
    26 August - 1 September: Artist Residency, Air Studios, Santa Fe, NM
    25 August: Millstream Arts Festival, St Joseph, MN
    13 July: Art at St Kate’s, St. Paul, MN
    22-23 June: Eagan Arts Festival, Eagan, MN
    15 June: Art in the Park, Lanesboro, MN
    1 June: St. Anthony Park Arts Festival, St. Paul, MN
    17-19 May: Art-A-Whirl at Quincy Hall, Minneapolis, MN
    12 - 14 April: St. Paul Art Crawl at F-O-K Studios, St. Paul, MN
    11 April - 18 May: What Fierce Looks Like: Artists of the Women’s Art Institute, Form + Content Gallery, Minneapolis, MN
    1 Feb - 14 March: Contemporary Colors, Kavanagh Gallery, Fine Line Creative Arts Center, St. Charles, IL
    26 Jan - 16 Feb: Getting Out Feet Wet group exhibition, F-O-K Studios 3rd Floor Gallery, St. Paul, MN
    5 Jan - 4 Feb: 9th Annual Colorful Abstractions online exhibition, Fusion Art, Santa Fe, NM

    Read more here

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