This is a portrait of my Great-Grandmother,

Engerline Marie Pedersen Priestley. 1873-1951.  

Charcoal on paper. 18"x24"

 Engerline (spelled "Ingerline" on birth record, possibly pronounced An-ga-leena) was a 14-year-old in Denmark when she and other family members responded to the sacred message of the missionaries from America and joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  When she was 17, her father had already passed away and his widow and 3 children wanted to emigrate to Utah.  Her mother and 2 younger brothers were the first to go.  She was left to sell the farm.  Without knowing English she agreed to go to Utah and marry someone her mother knew and recommended, in exchange for travel costs.  (Could that could be considered a mailorder bride?)  The above portrait represents her at 17, getting ready in fine clothes to travel.  To me, her expression shows the emotions she may have had when contemplating the travel and marriage commitments she had before her.  I wonder how her lovely dress and hat fit in with the culture in Heber City, Utah, where she soon would live?   She emigrated by ship and railroad.  After a couple of months in America, she married Wm Washington Priestley who was 28 years older than her.  This 5'2" young woman helped raise his younger children while proceeding to have 6 of her own.   The family moved to Felt in the Teton Valley in eastern Idaho where she spent her childrearing years in a two-room log cabin in beautiful but challenging circumstances.  Some people called the area "poverty flats."  A granddaughter called the place "a rock pile" and "weed patch" with no equipment.  After her 5th child was born, she had a stroke, which caused her to revert back to speaking in Danish.  Her oldest son, my grandfather Carl, as a 10-year old, rode horseback selling butter, eggs, and other homemade goods to neighbors and the town grocery store. Her second son, Erasstus, was lost in a snowstorm trying to bring in sheep from the mountain pasture, and after extensive searching was presumed dead.  All her life during snowstorms she would hope that he would walk in through the door.  Her darling 3-year-old daughter Engerline Sophia (Lena) died from heatstroke when they were traveling in a wagon to buy supplies in St. Anthony.  Her husband basically abandoned her and moved to Blackfoot, ID, where presumably the weather and work were more agreeable.  His children claim they never knew him. She raised the children alone in a home without running water (it had to be carried to the house in buckets) or maybe even electricity.   Today the farms have given way to beautiful homes.  At some point, she injured her foot and required a cane to walk.  She remained true to her faith, was active in the local church, and did her best to raise her children in the Gospel.  It was said that attending church was a 2-mile walk, each way.  After the children grew up and she divorced Priestley, she moved back and forth from Felt and Preston, Idaho, to Logan Utah where she enjoyed serving in the Temple.  She passed away at the age of 77 in Preston not far from her three sons.  I consider Engerline to be a strong and valiant woman who kept her word and her faith.  It was said that she had many friends and served in her community and that many would call her"blessed."  I believe she is worthy of our respect and honor.

 I have been asked if I sell my art work.

Yes, I've sold a lot, but in recent years I have preferred to sell giclee prints of my work.  It's cheaper for the customer and it allows me to keep my originals.  You can't tell most giclee from an original unless you look at it from the side and see that the texture is smoother than an original painting.  

The cost of a giclee is based on size and material printed upon.  Most oil paintings would be printed on a canvas.  Most watercolors and charcoals would be printed on textured fine art paper.  

You can look up giclee on Google and learn more about the process.

The art can be ordered in sizes from approximately 8"x10" up to the size of the original.  

Here are some sample approximate prices* for a canvas on-board.  On-board works well if you are going to frame it without glass.  Not on-board is fine under glass and it cheaper.  If you order on-paper it is a little less.  (It sounds a little complicated, but we can work it out.)

8x10 = $28.50

11x14 = $47

16x20 = $88

22x28 = $184

*  Prices may change as my printing costs change.  Tax would be added to instate orders.  Postage is extra.  If you are interested in a giclee of any of the following pictures, let's talk at DeanneDixon@gmail.com.

Giddy Up!  (Graphite on paper, 8x10, 1999.)

Eric & Liz's children

As Christmas gifts for our children in 2019 I drew portraits of our 17 grandchildren, using student-grade colored pencils and toned paper for most of the drawings.  I struggled and struggled with the tones, the depth of contrast, and when trying to erase a color when it wasn't working.  (It was like attempting to erase wax!)  In the process, I learned why professional artists prefer Prismacolors!  I have my own wonderful set now!

On the left: Grant and his bride Jade. 
On the right: Claire and her sister Taylor.  

Jennifer and Andrew's Children

Sierra, Brennon and Milo, 2019

Jeff & Kate's Children

Carter

Cassie

McKay

Ella

Dan & Holly's Kiddos

Sienna loves reading books

Lincoln loves his birthday celebration

Luke is excited to display
his first (participation) award

Debi & Jared's Children

Ruby

Bethany

Isaac

Into Quilts

My mother-in-law, Maurine, made gorgeous quilts in her day.  Quilting was an art form used by most of the pioneer women and their daughters.  It was practical as well as creative and therapeutic.  Women would gather to sit around a quilt stretched on wooden frames and stitch while they talked.  Children often enjoyed playing on the floor under the quilt.  Maurine made a quilt for all her children and grandchildren.   As a result, I thought I should too, but that "should" didn't last very long. The following drawings are based on vintage pieces of fabric Maurine and her aunt used in one of their beautiful older quilts.  

"Maurine is into quilting", detail.
pen & ink, chalk, and colored pencil.

"Playing with Arrows and Vintage Patterns"
Ink on paper

Against the Wind

In late autumn I cleaned some dead flowers from the garden.  The tempests had already begun: rain, wind and ice storms.    As I looked closer at the beaten chrysanthemums plants I began to see little people.  There were heads with wild dried-in-place hair, adults, and children.  I sketched the battered branches and then wrote the following poem:

Against the Wind

Chrysanthemums dry in the fall,
Face driving rain
And freeze in a windblown state.
Just like us sometimes.

But with God,
We bloom again!   

The Watchman, Zion's National Park

The Watchman, Zion's National Park

December 2016, Acrylic on paper.

In the private collection of Jared and Deborah Lee, Southern CA

Debi and her family, Eric and his family, and Rog and I enjoyed visiting Zion National Park again during our Thanksgiving vacation.  It never fails to amaze!

Painting the DC Temple

"For Time and Eternity", 
watercolor, 19"x13"

"For Time and Eternity, in Sepia"
Sepia was Liz's idea and I think it turned
out beautifully in a giclee.

Living in Potomac, Maryland, gave me the opportunity to have the DC Temple just 15 minutes away (traffic permitting) in Kensington.  I painted on location and from photographs I took. The temple is a particularly challenging subject because the shape is hexagonal, rather than rectangular.  It also challenges because of the various heights of the spires and the way the light bounces between them to make back glows.  I've made over 60 studies of the temple in pencil, watercolor, and oil.  Included within my blog are many of my favorite images.

"September Evening", 24"x36", watercolor, in the private collection of Geoff and Susanne Huguely.  I now have the honor that a full-size giclee of this image was selected in 2016 to hang in the Barlow Building,  which functions as the home of the BYU/Washington (DC) Seminar.

"Serenity at Sunset", watercolor, 19"x13"
in the private collection of Mac Christensen, of Salt Lake City, UT.
This was painted during a blizzard.

"DC Temple in the Blizzard of '96"
Watercolor, 19"x13"
In the collection of Ralph and Carole Hardy.
This is one of my favorite Temple paintings.
It was made with gusto, like the blizzard outside my window. 

The paintings that have the reflecting pool in the above position were based on a photograph of my son, Eric and his bride Liz, as they posed at the far end of the pool.  I have done paintings on location at the Temple, but I feel a little conspicuous in my art clothes and gear painting in such a peaceful and beautiful setting, therefore most of my work are from photos.  

Spring Dogwoods at the DC Temple

Sometimes a work of art just flows.  This is one of those times.  I started with a canvas toned red.  I dashed in some guiding lines to structure the painting.  In contrast to many of my works, painting this felt like a dance.  I finished it in four hours--a record for me.  I got to a moment of satisfaction and I put the brushes down.  

"Spring Dogwoods at the DC Temple"

1995, Oil on canvas, 22"x28".

In the private collection of Robert and Marilyn Brinton

(All of the above photos of the painting stages were

taken in different lighting, which makes

the color of the paintings appear different.)

Morning Mist

It's fun to play with the DC Temple image.  This represents morning mist through which the temple spires rise.  The media is cut tissue paper. 

Chevy Chase Ward, Maryland

This 8x10" oil painting was painted on location.  The Chevy Chase building served many long-time members in the Mormon community in the DC area.

The b&w above is just a fun variation I made using Photoshop.

The Blizzard of '96

One of my best paintings of the DC Temple is a watercolor depicting the temple in a snowstorm.   It was painted during the Blizzard of 1996, thus the name.  Carol Harding bought the original for Ralph as a birthday gift.

The DC Temple in Springtime (Moorehead)

Kathleen and Alan Moorehead stand next to the picture of the DC Temple that they commissioned.  March 15, 2014. Kathleen wanted the temple and reflection, the driveway removed, not so many trees, a springtime look plus the color mauve.  This angle of the temple is based on a photo of my son an daughter-in-law on their wedding day.  Because of it's 6 sides, getting the temple structure correct is more difficult than one might expect.
(Rest in Peace, Alan, my friend!  May this temple image bring you hope dear Kathleen.)

Awesome Brennon

Brennon, on 2/2/2011.  Three-color chalk on toned charcoal paper.

Our grandson Brennon is one of the sweetest guys you'll ever meet.  He played football for a season but loves to wrestle most of all.  He's great at asking questions and being interested in other people.  This drawing was a birthday gift for his 12th bd.  He is now 14 and I'm shocked at how tall he has gotten and how his voice has changed.  (We haven't seen him in 2 years because of our mission.  He didn't keep his promise to not grow while we were gone.)