Carl Dixon, Passionate Artist

“Don’t let anyone steal your joy!” Carl Dixon, 64, is apt to tell his friends and family. This wood carver and painter from Jackson, Miss., is on fire for God and for using his natural talent in art. He believes and says, “The more I concentrate on God, the Kingdom becomes live!” Carl has been a devout member of churches in two places he has lived, in Jackson and Houston, Texas. He has had setbacks in his life, but refuses to give up.

Not surprisingly, Carl focuses much of his time painting stories from the Bible on wood – plywood, maple or oak. He reads the Bible, prays over a passage and then begins the process of creating art. In addition he paints popular culture personages or civil rights figures, men and women impassioned for justice. He has just completed a painting of the entertainer Snoop Dogg for Wrong Store and Gallery in Marfa, Texas, and he is currently working on a piece depicting the Good Samaritan, a parable from the Bible.

Carl draws a “floor plan” or initial design, of how he wants the painting to look. Depending on the hardness of the wood, he might make a shallow or deep cut in the wood, then sands it before painting his design. He begins the process of painting in the carved grooves of the wood. A piece of art could take several days or weeks to complete. If Carl has difficulties on any one piece, he may leave it for a short while and return to it when he feels fresh inspiration.

Sketching and drawing have always been part of Carl’s life. In high school in Jackson, a teacher, Mr. Gerald, complimented Carl on his artistic gifts and urged him to pursue art as a vocation. After graduation he attended vocational school and learned the skill of brick laying. A friend, Benny Oliver, got him interested in carving and painting wood. The two worked as address-sign artisans and then collaborated on art. Years later, in 1999, Benny was murdered, and Carl finished the painting they were working on, “Adam and Eve in the Garden of God,” and donated the proceeds from the sale of the piece to Benny’s widow in Jackson.

Between 1981 and 2000, Carl lived with his brother, a school teacher, in Houston. Visiting many museums and galleries, Carl wanted to experience a big city art community, and glean ideas for his own art. It was in Houston that he declared his identity as an artist. He found a community of faith in Pastor John Osteen’s Lakewood Church. When Osteen’s wife, Dodie, was stricken with cancer, Carl painted and donated an art piece, “Walking on Water” to her.

Unfortunately, cancer came to haunt Carl. In 2000, he was diagnosed with colon cancer and returned to Jackson for treatment, which included both chemotherapy and radiation. After a remission of symptoms for several years, Carl suffered a recurrence in 2004, and doctors removed a big part of his large intestine. Carl’s church, Rose Mountain Baptist, has been a major support to him.

Such a devastating illness may have discouraged someone from getting on with life, but Carl was determined to live fully and continue his art. Through Ted Oliver, a curator and collector of folk art whom Carl had worked with, he met another collector and patron, John Kohan. Carl and Kohan have been “phone pals” for 16 years, never having met in person.

John Kohan was a journalist for Time magazine for more than 20 years, and upon his retirement his interest in sacred art was inspired by a workshop in icon-making in Jerusalem. Instead of pursuing his own painting, he decided to collect and promote religious art from around the world. In 2005, he founded the collection, Sacred Art Pilgrim. Carl joined Sacred Art Pilgrim in 2009 and is among the many artists featured in Kohan’s website, http://sacredartpilgrim.com.

Kohan has more than 30 paintings by Carl in his collection.

In 1998, Carl was a speaker at the Folk Art Society’s conference in Houston. Known as a man of many words, Carl said at the symposium, “The strength of God helps me do what I am doing. We have to be chosen, and we will work together in unity. Excellence is where everybody can be.” Carl had been a faithful contributor to the Folk Art Society’s annual auction, calling every August to talk about the painting he was planning to donate that year.

Carl Dixon will live out his days as a man of kindness and a gifted artist, always testifying to the light and glory of God.