Inetrview by Jimon

1- Where do you call home currently?  I have always called Calgary, Canada home.

2- How would you describe Mark Dicey?  Mark Dicey is an artist who is passionate about what he does. He is a painter and drawer who has a great fascination with the history of abstract art.

3-How long have you been making art and what lead you to start?  Forty years. Early exposure to art through an artist mother who studied locally and at the world famous Banff Centre for the Arts (where I have also exhibited and have recently done a residency).

4-Did you study art or is it a gift?  I studied art at Alberta College of Art & Design and continue to learn art through self study – reading, going to lectures, art exhibitions and local events, and travelling to visit museums and galleries. I follow my passion and work hard at that. I do not think of it as a gift. Everyone has the ability to be creative.

5-It has been said art is a gift from god to make the world a better place. What are your thoughts on that? Art, and creativity in general, have been with us for millennia. People with great minds who creatively do what they do that make the world a better place.

6-Are you trying to send a message through your art or is it purely for inspiration? Both. I believe my art needs time. There is an immediate impact but there is so much more when one investigates and contemplates what they are seeing. I put all of what I know into making the work and through the process learn and discover new aspects. The world needs to slow down and make time. Certainly though, it is also for inspiration both for me and the viewer.

7-Best advice you ever received in regards to your career as an artist? Have a good work ethic. Work as hard for yourself, if not harder, than you have for others. Always question.

8-How do you define success? Happiness: knowing that you are appreciated and accepted for what you do no matter how great or small.

9-Do you listen to music while creating? If yes, what genre?  Not often. I usually just listen to the sounds outside of my studio (birds, traffic, airplanes) but occasionally also podcasts or interviews on the radio.

10-What advice would you give putative collectors? Trust. Trust your instinct. If a work intrigues you and you decide to bring it into your home or work environment it will continue to provide thought provoking contemplation and discussion.

11-How would you like to be seen as an artist years from now? As someone who followed their instinct, and was conscious of past and present; international art that informed new thought and activity. As someone who deeply cared about community.

12-Why make art? Because it is critical to personal and social well being of the planet.

13-The future is _________? Positive!

14-Do you have a place/person/thing that you visit for inspiration? To name just three:Taking in live music, my sketchbooks, and collaborating in the drawing trio I work in, Drunken Paw. Collaborative drawing group: www.drunkenpaw.com As one will see on my Instagram account, I use my sketchbooks every day, in and out of the studio. They go with me everywhere. What happens in the sketchbooks feeds back into the studio work.

15-If you could have dinner with 3 artists living/dead who would be at your table? Joseph Beuys, Joan Mitchell and Jay DeFeo.

16-Three things you can’t live without in your studio?  Paint, heat and light. My studio is a stand-alone structure behind my house and during our long cold winters the furnace and lights are much needed.

17-How would someone find you on Social media? https://www.instagram.com/paddlecoffin/

https://www.facebook.com/diceyhaus

https://twitter.com/markdicey?lang=en

18-Anything else you’d like to mention that I didn’t ask? the name I use on Instagram, paddlecoffin, is the name I used when I was doing mail art in the 80’s. I used to enter themed exhibitions, correspond and trade with artists internationally. The internet slowed down much of that activity and I now follow many of the same people on social media.  Collaboration with other artists has also been a big part of my practice through the years: music, performance art, drawing, curating, have all been of utmost importance to me.  Gallery representation:www.jarvishallgallery.com   website www.markdicey.ca