Member Spotlight: Dixie Denman Junius Featured in the Prestigious Art Journal Ustanga
Waxing Asemic is just the latest success for this prolific artist, author, teacher, and creator
An artist might wonder if maintaining a social media presence is worth the time required. In October of 2023, Dixie Denman Junius learned that the effort to post her work online paid off.
“Francesco Aprile, publisher of Utsanga magazine, reached out to me in after seeing some of my work on Instagram. I was blown away.”
The initial result was a highlight of Dixie’s book, Circling the Start, in Utsanga’s January 2024 issue. “It was a dream for me. It’s such an honor to be included in this journal that celebrates the best of asemics around the world.”
Then, after subsequently seeing Dixie’s Waxing Asemic series on Instagram, Francesco reached out a second time. “Can you even imagine? I was over the moon,” Dixie said.
Soon after, Aprile slated the series to appear in Usanga’s June 2024 issue.
“Waxing Asemic” with Images of Winter
Dixie is a mixed-media abstract painter who utilizes watercolor, ink, and other mediums to evoke an emotion or mood or to convey an interaction with nature’s whims. Her work frequently incorporates asemic writing (writing detached from language) as she endeavors to interpret the wordless poems within.
“Waxing Asemic came to me as a series all within a day or two last winter,” Dixie explained. “Images that spoke of January; waves in my heart and mind — moving forward and looking back in a time of much uncertainty, anticipation, nostalgia. Underlying all, a sense of alignment with what is real and true.”
Individual pieces from the six-piece series, plus other works of Dixie’s, are currently available for purchase on Past Lives’ recently launched Web Store.
A Passionate Pursuit of the Arts Turns Full-Time
Dixie was raised near the Woodstock art colony in New York’s Catskill Mountains. Surrounded by nature’s beauty, she was immersed in a family and community of artists, artisans, musicians, and gifted educators from an early age.
She studied art, art history, and psychology at Hartwick College and Boston University, graduating with a degree in psychology. Her career took her from Boston to Southern California, where in the early 90’s, she left her consulting practice to become a full-time artist.
Dixie then began studying papermaking at UCLA under Harriet Germain, who became a dear friend and mentor. She took further private instruction in Japanese papermaking with Yoshio Ikezaki. Dixie became an accomplished papermaker, artist, and teacher, showing and selling her work throughout Southern California.
A long hiatus from art followed, including a move to Hawaii for several years. Upon returning to the mainland, she settled with her husband in Milwaukie, OR, and eventually resumed artmaking.
“Initially, tight studio space brought opportunities for me to explore working ‘small,’” Dixie shared. Working with smaller form factors extended her art in new and unexpected directions and employed a whole new array of materials, tools, and techniques.
Past Lives Brings Creative Inspiration and Abiding Friendships
After meeting Past Lives founder Morlock, Dixie was inspired to visit the Past Lives space. “It was clear that this was an incredible human being with an amazing vision and mission,” she said.
Since joining as a member in late 2022, she shares that Past Lives has significantly impacted her art—and heart.
“This community is everything to me,” Dixie said. “The deep and abiding friendships and the synergistic relationships with members have filled a space in my life that I scarcely knew existed. And have expanded my creative scope beyond what I thought possible.”
She goes on to add, “Each moment that I spend in this vibrant, creatively supercharged environment challenges me to be better in my work, but also to contribute all that I can to the Past Lives community and mission.”
Publishing Work…and Continually Learning
In addition to Ustanga, Dixie’s works and words have appeared in WAAVe Global Gallery, GAS: Poetry, Art and Music, Indelible Literary and Arts Journal, and South Florida Poetry Journal (she was also nominated for a Best of the Net award for her work in SoFloPoJo). In the fall of 2021, Van Vliet Gallery hosted an online solo show of Dixie’s asemic art.
A lifelong learner, Dixie reads widely and takes as many art-related courses as her studio schedule allows. She spends time walking and running, with frequent breaks to photograph her surroundings. Sashiko, slow stitching, cooking, eating, and spending time with loved ones (including her new kitten, Murray!), are her other favorite ways to enjoy her time on this planet.
Connect with Dixie
Take the “Discover Asemics with Dixie” class at Past Lives!
Check out Dixie’s Asemic artwork in the Past Lives Store
Order Circling the Start on Amazon
Artist’s Statement
“I make art for the joy of it: the small miracle of images appearing by my hand, taking shape, color, and form on the page before me. There is no plan really, just a desire, an intuition, an intention to create an image that reflects an emerging notion. A revelation of sorts. Asemic art, writing detached from language, allows me to make visible the imperfect poems that live wordlessly in my mind. Always there is delight in exploration, discovery, creation!”
~ Dixie Denman Junius