Dixie Bradley: glass & creativity

Here is another interview with one of the artists taking part in the Holiday Art Market ongoing at Artlink: Dixie Bradley.

What inspires you?

I started in photography and did mainly "light paintings" -- cibachrome photograms. From there, I went to oil painting. Then I also got interested in doing collages, since with the photography, I had a number of compositions that didn't work out as well as I had hoped, and they got thrown into a corner to "someday" go into collages. I also have always collected interesting "stuff" when we travel, ie, shells, rocks, hunks of glass, wood, bones, whatever I can either put in my pocket or purse. After a while, that "stuff" was getting to be quite a pile of things and one day, I wanted a decoration to hang on the side of a kitchen cupboard (since I was bored with potholders) and began making three-dimensional assemblages. I also have done some stained glass pieces and had extra scrap glass left, so I would add it to the assemblages. I also have always been fascinated with hot glass work -- loving the shine and texture, etc. So, I took a few glass fusing classes and started making some fused glass jewelry. This seemed like a natural for the Holiday Art Market, since a one-of-a-kind piece can be sold at a very reasonable price.

What medium do you primarily work in? Why did you select this medium?

I'm not sure I have a favorite medium -- maybe whatever I'm doing at the time I find switching mediums helps when I get "blocked".

What do you put in your art that represents you?

I guess that any piece of art that I do represents me in some manner, since every artist is different and will see and interpret things differently.

Do you try to make a statement with your art?

I don't think I consciously try to make a statement in my work -- only that I want to create something that the viewer will enjoy.

What is your favorite aspect of art?

I guess my favorite aspect of art is that something can be made out of almost anything. I especially enjoy doing the collages and assemblages for the repurposing aspect -- artists are the original recyclers.

Who inspired you to be an artist and who are your favorite artists?

One of my favorite artists is, of course, my husband and best friend -- Norman Bradley. He has always encouraged me to keep experimenting and stretching as an artist. Other favorites would be Georgia O'Keeffe, Vincent Van Gogh, Claude Monet, John Singer Sargent, Turner, Picasso, Steiglitz, Ansel Adams, Frida Kahlo, etc., etc.,