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

Artist Statement

My abstract paintings are a dialogue with color, inviting viewers to inhabit chromatic space as active participants rather than passive observers. Utilizing a large-scale format and a signature, rhythmic brushstroke, I explore how color relationships and geometric forms create visual tensions that resonate on both a psychological and architectural level. My process alternates between a physical, full-body engagement to a meditative conversation between myself (the artist) and the evolving surface where meaning is discovered through the act of creation. My brushstrokes are visual poetry—gestural marks that dances and flows with their own rhythm, speaking to both personal expression and collective memory.

A significant catalyst for my current practice was a recent residency in New Mexico and on-going visits. These experiences produced the Santa Fe collection and Where the Adobe Meets the Sky series that abstract the structural silhouettes of Pueblo Revival architecture and the dramatic chromatic shifts of the high-desert. In these works, my brushstrokes function as a visual record of my movement, responding to the ordered chaos of local markets and the sanctuary of interior adobe niches. This landscape and the energy of this place touches me deeply.

Parallel to these architectural explorations is my Brushstroke Poetry collection. In these works, I utilize a deliberate square format to examine the interaction of color as a homage to the narrative power and rhythmic shapes of women’s quilts and the ancient pottery traditions. This exploration deepens with each visit to New Mexico, where my work is a profound listening to the land and the heritage of the people. 

My installation practice began in 2021 with a corner meditative work created during the Women's Art Intensive at St. Catherine University. This year, I completed Sacred Canvas: A Day in Light and Color at ArtReach St. Croix Gallery—a site-specific installation of 40 modular oil paintings accompanied by my recorded reading of a poem created for the work. The paintings were in the style of the Brushstroke Poetry collection. These experiences have fundamentally shifted my understanding of how painting functions in space, and I look to explore more opportunities for this work. Installation allows oil painting to transcend its traditional confines, taking on new presence and inviting collaboration between artwork, space, architecture, and viewer. 

My process is a deliberate surrender to intuition—a non-linear journey where meaning reveals itself through the act of creation. Across four easels, I embrace the uncertainty of the gestural dance, translating the sacred geometry of the high desert into a visual poetry that breathes. I do not paint to capture a moment, but to honor a continuum. My work is an invitation to stand where the earth and the human hand understand one another, offering a vibrant, living record of a landscape that continues to speak, and a spirit that continues to listen.

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.

Curriculum Vitae

Here’s my list of solo exhibitions. Go here to read my complete CV.

Solo Exhibitions

2026 Santa Fe Collection, Eagan Art House, Eagan, MN

2026 Brushstroke Poetry, Westfields Hospital, New Richmond, WI 

2025 Brushstroke Poetry, Croixdale Senior Living, Bayport, MN 

2025 Santa Fe Collection, F-O-K Studios, St. Paul, MN

2025 Enchantment of the Soul, Paramount Center for the Arts, St. Cloud, MN

2022 Vibrant Interactions, Bismarck Art & Galleries, Bismarck, ND

2019 Works by Christy Dickinson, Westfields Hospital, New Richmond, WI

2018 Works by Christy Dickinson, Hudson Hospital & Clinics, Hudson, WI 

2018 Interwoven, Croixdale Senior Living, Bayport, MN

2017 Interwoven, Paramount Center for the Arts, St. Cloud, MN

2017 Works by Christy Dickinson, The Anderson Center for Arts, Red Wing, MN

2016 Works by Christy Dickinson, A Center for the Arts, Fergus Falls, MN

2016 Interwoven, Falcon Bank, St. Cloud, MN

be the first to know

Share your email to learn about open studio events, exclusive offers, collections, and more.

Commission a painting