Jill Dixon

http://www.courtyardarts.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/wondersofthemindgallery.

I recently saw this artist’s work at an exhibition in the Courtyard Arts in Hertford. The exhibition featured some of the graduating Creative Arts students from UH and Jill, who graduated last year.

I am supposed to keep abreast of current trends and cutting edge techniques in photography, so this exhibition and Jill’s work in particular was interesting. However, it is quite depressing when another artist’s work seems to be parallel to my own! In some ways, even her development followed similar paths to my own. But Jill uses a variety of media in her images including hand made paper, glass and fabrics. Her aim is to manipulate and layer images to produce new perceptions for the viewer. She creates 2 and 3 dimensional pieces.

                                   Dixon(2014) Origami Bright

It looks as if Jill has made a n 8 sided object here, whereas I make hexagons. Some of her sections are uneven and not symmetrical. It looks as if something organic is growing out of it and all the patterns seem to be from nature. The lack of symmetry would bug me! But yo can see the similarities with one of my recent hexagons.

I find it pleasing and soothing to see' everything as it should be' all the sections are arranged in an ordered and neat way, with the pattern they create repeating all the way round the hexagonal.

On closer inspection, you can see the image includes snails, tablets and cigarette ends.

My work is different in that although I use manipulation, I take one section of an image, which has been created from a plate of objects that all have symbolic or literal meaning to me. My message is about how I try to control and subdue the irritants in my life: How I want to make order from chaos by making beauty and symmetry from disgust and organic disorder. I want to lure the viewer in with a seductive, colourful detailed display, then shock them with the unsettling objects within that image.

                                                       Dixon, (2014)

here Jill has used a mirror image creating a symmetrical final piece. This is similar to my own technique, although Jill has used printed fabric in this piece, whereas I am just using digital imaging at the moment. I have, however booked to make some copies onto fabric in the 2D workshop.

You can see the similarity in our two images. Symmetrical, mirror, kaleidoscopic images are very popular in the creative industries at the moment.