Three winners were chosen in a blind selection art contest. Last week we met Dixie from Cape Girardeau. Today we'll take a journey with another one of our three winners in Farmington as she creates a "living" masterpiece.
Meet Dianne
Dianne Dickerson of Farmington, Missouri has been turning heads with her art for quite a while. It was no wonder our editor was so attracted to her stunning and (ironically enough) lively painting of one of Ste. Genevieve’s oldest cemeteries. But the bright colors and zest for life feel of her graveyard painting was not the only irony in this story.
Three winners were chosen in a blind selection art contest...
After seeing the beautiful painting and selecting the piece as one of the three winners, we asked to meet up with Dianne somewhere we could see her in action. When the Calvary Cemetery was suggested we saw an opportunity.
Recently 573 Magazine started delving into our own past and found that the 573 area has been home to many Civil War soldiers who helped mold our history and this area. Captain James McCormick is one of this area’s Civil War legends and he just happens to be having his eternal rest at Calvary Cemetery. Dianne agreed to paint McCormick’s headstone at our request, eager to portray a new interesting location.
...either a hysterical coincidence or an eerie act of fate.
When we met up with Dianne, we were surprised to discover this wasn’t our first meeting at all. Our editor had in fact first met Dianne as she stood outside the old McCormick house, painting the portrait of the once prominent Farmington family home, back in 2018. For her painting to be one of the three selected out of so many submissions, and for us to request a painting of McCormick's grave as her photo assignment, all before knowing who she was, is either a hysterical coincidence or an eerie act of fate.
573: Tell us about yourself Dianne.
My name is Dianne Dickerson. I have a younger brother, Bill Dickerson and family who live in Kansas. I have two daughters, Alison Hahs Sheets of Farmington and Shannon Hahs Davis of Sikeston. And I have two stepsons, Stephen Lever and Tim Lever. I have 5 grandchildren and two step grandchildren. I have had two exchange students, Nurick from Kazakhstan and Mia from Indonesia. I am grateful for all of these blessings!
573: Tell us about your art.
I have been doing art ever since I was a toddler and am grateful my family encouraged it though my father insisted, I take a well-rounded curriculum in school consisting of math, literature and science too. I love cross curriculums and find art can be integrated helping in every subject especially with those like me who are visual learners. I especially like to paint outdoors as it is so inspiring to be surrounded by nature and all her inspiring colors while listening to the symphonic sounds of the birds and critters. I like sharing artwork and seeing what others are doing and gaining confidence in their abilities.
Besides teaching art for 13 years, I also taught Special Education, English as a Second Language, Parents as Teachers, and GED all of which worked well with art! I have been a retail clerk, waitress, swimming instructor, and school bus driver. To me, all my jobs have been an inspiration to my art.
I believe learning is a lifelong endeavor.
I am currently giving private art lessons in my home and teaching at the Nutrition Center in Ste Genevieve where we seniors get together once a month to create and have fun. A grant made possible by The Ste. Genevieve Art Guild pays for supplies and my salary.
I am grateful for my BA from Northwestern Louisiana State University and my MA from Southeast Missouri State University. I am now enjoying taking classes at Mineral Area College through the Senior Scholars Program sponsored by the State of Missouri. I believe learning is a lifelong endeavor.
We couldn't agree more! Evolving oneself as you progress is a never-ending process. It takes time, willingness to learn, and working on it every day, one step at a time...like all great works of art!
Her finished work...took our breath away.
As we watched Dianne go to work mapping out the outline for her painting, it was almost hypnotizing. After laying out the bones of her piece on canvas, and working on it for a little while, she packed up, ready to rest and come back to it another day.
Like we said before, great works take time. And evolution is an ongoing process. As the world transitioned from the end of winter to emerging spring, so did Dianne's painting. When we met back up with her to see her finished work, it took our breath away. A beautiful masterpiece, that seemed to change and evolve with the natural world, it was well worth the wait.
A beautiful masterpiece, that seemed to change and evolve with the natural world...
And to our delight, Dianne brought a few of her other works to share with us.
We were honored to have been a small part of this journey and grateful for the opportunity to meet someone with such a passion for creating amazing works of art. What's your passion? Are you a local unknown budding artist waiting for your chance to emerge? It's not going to happen just sitting there dreaming about it! Get up and grow your talent. Evolve through time, practice, and dedication. After all, it's spring, the time to blossom, grow, and revel in the beauty of our world is now.
GET OUT THERE!
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