Dickson “Dixie” Carroll: Color, Whimsy and more

By Steve Buck

Steve Buck, Dixie Carroll

“Form and function in a riot of color and whimsy”

The description you see above is the headline for a Washington Post article on classmate Dixie Carroll’s show of his colorful creations in wood, running through July 11 at the Addison/Ripley Gallery in the heart of Georgetown, DC. The full article is here.

On Saturday, June 22, I went to Dixie’s talk at the gallery, and then interviewed him afterward. There was a capacity crowd, 50-plus people who asked questions long after Dixie’s talk. I enlisted the very capable assistance of Dixie’s talented daughter Vaughan to record our interview.

Below, please have a look at the four short interview clips and the photos of two of his particularly powerful works: Many Voices and Au Clair de la Lune. Dixie’s artist comments on both of these pieces follow the photos.

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Au Claire de la Lune

Many Voices

Au Claire de la Lune
(By the Light of the Moon)

Completed in 2017, well before the horrific fire that almost destroyed Notre Dame de Paris on Monday, April 14, 2019, here is an homage to Paris: an impression of the cathedral on the Île de la Cité. The viewer is standing on the Pont de Tournelle over the Seine, looking downstream at the apse, the nave, the transept and spire, then the twin belfries beyond. The river is turned down to give the illusion that the viewer is seeing the water and the boats pass under him on the bridge he is standing on. To the right of the cathedral is the Pont St. Louis which leads to the island of St. Louis (not shown). A gigantic full moon overhead illuminates the surrounding clouds, the cathedral below, and its surroundings; stars and constellations shine brightly. Here and there, comets streak across the sky. Below, several bateaux mouches pass one another going in different directions at high speed, making big wakes in the brisk current. To the left of the cathedral, Saint-Germain-des-Prés is represented; on the right are the Tour Saint-Jacques and the Saint-Eustache church. These three monuments are all found in this direction and in this order, but not nearly as close to the cathedral as shown.

Many Voices

An abstract sculpture which evokes for the author the many human voices, their diverse feelings and points of view, be they in opposition or in concert.