JEANIE (ELAM) DICKINSON THE ARTISTS at the MARBLE RIM GALLERY
I was born in Alhambra, California, the baby of three sisters. My Dad was in the Navy, rejoining when Pearl Harbor was attacked. We lived all over, moving every three years, which made we three sisters very close. Both parents were very artistic. When I was sick, I had to stay in bed (no playing). The one thing they would let me do in bed was draw. Mom or Daddy would draw me a paper doll figure, and I would spend the day drawing clothes for her. This progressed into faces, eyes, and lips. When I was about ten, we moved back to Los Angeles, and we went to visit a cousin in the San Diego area. He had an ocean scene painting in his entry. He painted the picture and then cut it into three pieces, framing each one individually. He hung them side by side and as you walked in this is what you saw. I was hooked.
Everywhere we went, I had paper, and crayons, and pencil, and drew nothing but fish, seaweed. and bubbles. This was the beginning of my imagination and my love of drawing and art. Then we moved to San Jose when I was 12.
I didn't take an art class in my high school years. I was too busy being a teenager. It wasn't until I was married and had my first daughter (and with my mother's encouragement) that I became interested in art again. I signed up for an art class at our local community college and began painting with oils. I also took lessons with a family friend in her home and painted all the time. Then in 1970 we moved to Etna in Scott Valley.
My oldest sister lived in Fort Jones and she opened a craft store in the old creamery building on Main Street. We had a ball. I would work for her to give her a day off and sold many paintings in her shop. But then life got in the way. Four children, working six days a week, lots of community activities, and again my art was set on the back burner, until about four years ago. Along with my sister, I started taking classes again. We took drawing classes, watercolor classes, and pastel. I took a college course in acrylics, and attended several workshops, which I enjoyed immensely. My main interest is landscape. This beautiful valley of ours in an endless subject. My husband has introduced me to many breathtaking spots, some of which I could never find again. I have acquired a vast library of photos from our travels and from the valley.
In 2008, my painting "Surprise Barn in McKinley Valley" was chosen as Painting of the Year by the Siskiyou Artists Association. I am a member of the Marble Rim Gallery, which is a great honor. I love painting in any medium and I hope you enjoy my style of painting.
