SUE DICKINSON
SOUTH AFRICAN WILDLIFE ARTIST
Sue Dickinson studied B.A. (Fine Arts) at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg from 1981 - 1983. After running her own graphic design studio and pursuing a career in the advertising industry, she elected to paint on a full-time basis from 1994.
Since that time, she has gained a reputation for her paintings celebrating Africa in all its many manifestations. Sue became an "Associate Member" of the Watercolour Society of South Africa (AWSSA) in 1995. Associate Members of the WSSA are members whose work has been selected for a certain number of Open Exhibitions over a limited time period - similar to the American "Signature" members or British "Royal Academy" members.
Recently, Sue was awarded membership of the Society of Animal Artists (SAA), based in New York, USA. The exhibitions of this Society are internationally recognised as being the benchmark of wildlife art and artists.
Sue's work appears on several South African postage stamps, including airmail tags commemorating the discovery of Thulamela, the world-famous archaeological site in the Kruger National Park. In 1998, another set of Sue's paintings, depicting "Early South African History" appeared on postage stamps, postcards and in a prestige booklet.
In 1999, Sue was commissioned to paint a miniature postage sheet celebrating The Order of St John's 900th Anniversary, which included a portrait of President Nelson Mandela. Her work is in private and corporate collections in South Africa, England, Germany, Italy, France, USA, Hong Kong, Brazil, Holland and Australia.
Sue lives and works in Nelspruit, near the Kruger National Park. She spends a great deal of time carefully observing and recording Africa's rich diversity of fauna and flora. Her optimism about all things African is celebrated in paintings such as "Days of Miracle and Wonder", a painting which was a finalist in the Winsor & Newton Millennium Painting Competition.
Private & Corporate Collections:
Ivory Lodge
Royal Malewane Lodge
Singita and Lebombo Lodges
Anglo Gold
Gold Fields of South Africa
IFM International
First National Bank
Novartis Pharmaceuticals
HRH Queen Elizabeth II
Nelson Mandela
Sue Dickinson has exhibited her work extensively in South Africa, including with galleries such as Gallery on the Square (Sandton), Everard Read Gallery (Johannesburg and Cape Town), Bourbon Street Gallery (Franschhoek), and African Window Gallery (Pretoria) and has taken part in many group exhibitions. She has also exhibited in Italy, France and the USA.
Exhibitions:
From Africa to the Amazon Wildlife Exhibition and Sale, Air Gallery, London, 2003
South-eastern Wildlife Art Exposition, Charleston, USA, 2002, 2003
Florida Wildlife Art Exposition, Sarasota, USA, 2003
Western Visions, National Museum of Wildlife Art, Jackson Hole, Wyoming, USA
Wildlife Art Gallery, Orlando, USA, 2003
Everard Read Gallery, Johannesburg, SA
Gallery on the Square, Sandton, SA, 2000
Christies Wildlife Art Auction, London
African Window Museum, Pretoria, SA, 1998
Norscot Manor Gallery, Sandton, SA, several exhibitions
The composition of Sue's paintings is critical; based upon the law of proportion known as the "Golden Mean" - an aesthetic principle used by the ancient Greeks. Sue's focus is the animal itself.
Her experience has taught her that "what you leave out is just as important as what you put in". Her stark, clean images concentrate exclusively on the animal and convey the wide-open spaces of Africa.
Sue's preferred painting medium is watercolour. This much under-rated medium is widely acknowledged by artists to be the most difficult. "There is no room for error with watercolour - once it is on the paper, it is almost impossible to remove - so I work carefully and accurately. I'm not attempting to reproduce reality, so I want to work fairly loosely too. It is important for the viewer to be able to see the mark of the artist, the journey I have taken on the page. I don't want a slick look."
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