ok. i’m a little late for friday artistic inspiration, but better late than never right?
so. who inspires me? one of my greatest artistic inspirations is a local, internationally reknown artist named sid dickens.
i have loved and collected sid’s artwork for years. most famously known for his collectible, hand crafted memory blocks, sid is often imitated by other artists/manufacturers. try as they may, other mfgs never get it quite right… and that is a testament to the beauty, style and craftsmanship of sid dickens’ work.
his design aesthetic comes from years of art history, theory and fine art training at the prestigous emily carr art institute in vancouver bc and a pivotal, inspirational trip to europe. after this significant european trip, he relocated his studio from vancouver to the queen charlotte islands where he experimented with non-traditional materials such as metal, mud, sticks and leaves. his techniques and artistic vision continued to evolve and expand under the influence of journeys to mexico, peru, egypt and other exotic locales.
an exerpt from his website:
During his travels, Dickens spends considerable time conducting
research. It
is through this distillation process that Dickens has honed his ability
to interpret
ancient art for modern day sensibilities. Finding artistic beauty in
the relics
and cast-offs of our historical past is just one of his trademarks.
"The images of time are virtually endless," says Dickens, "It’s
just a matter of reinterpretation, a slight adjustment, a modern
perspective,
if you will."
in 1991 he returned to vancouver and established his new studio in the heart of historic vancouver, the place his ‘memory blocks‘ were born. today, his memory blocks are collected internationally and have
attracted the attention of both celebrities and media alike. celebrities such
as jann arden, sarah mcLachlan, allyssa milano, cher, vanessa williams,
and hilary duff are avid tile collectors. as am i…
here is a sampling of the 15 tiles i am so happy and pleased to own. many of them are retired and very collectible now. i’ve seen them for at least double if not three times the original price on ebay. one is a prototype signed and gifted to me by sid himself on my birthday [we have family in common].












enjoy the artwork of mr dickens. it’s collectible, infinitely beautiful and actually, quite affordable. after visiting his website again, i’ve been inspired to add to my collection again. and probably very soon =)
hmmm… our anniversary is in april… maybe a little, heavy rectangular prezzie will be in my future? <hint hint terry>