Artist Profile: Michael Dixon
Michael Dixon’s love of art began with his father’s photography.
Dixon’s dad, Edward Dixon, Sr., sometimes took pictures of government officials. He even took a portrait of Lyndon B. Johnson, who was president in the late 1960s.
“The people he photographed were real people,” Michael said. “I knew real people who were in the government.”
Beginning in high school, Dixon drew pictures of his family and, later, started drawing pictures in pencil and pastels of famous African Americans. “I did it so that people didn’t forget about them,” he said. “I wanted people to know where they came from.”
His first portrait of a famous person was of Los Angeles Lakers center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, which seemed fitting since Dixon is a fan who also hails from L.A. “He was an icon of civil rights,” Dixon said. “I looked up to him.”
Wes Hall, his art teacher from Compton Senior High School, encouraged Dixon to continue drawing. “I drew a picture of my nieces for my mom,” he said. “She cried.”
Since then, he has done portraits of others, including comedian Steve Harvey, late legendary producer Quincy Jones, late actor and Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman, actress Pam Grier, and Harriet Tubman, who escorted more than 300 slaves to freedom on the Underground Railroad. “They were inspirational people,” Dixon said. “Every portrait has been an inspiration for me.”
Dixon often goes to the Warren County Public Library to find pictures of people so he can draw them. Some of the librarians there greet him when he comes in and ask him what he’s working on. He also still does portraits of friends and family members.
“Doing research at the library gives me insight on who the people are,” he said. “I like to know who I’m drawing.”
Dixon has won several awards for his artwork, including the Arts for All Kentucky Ron Billings Emerging Artist Award for Artists with Disabilities in 2015 and Best Amateur Artist Award from Art Works Inc. in 2023. He has had art shows at the Southern Kentucky Performing Arts Center and the Capitol Arts Center. “I love winning awards, but they don’t compare to the joy I get when others look at my artwork,” he said.
Next up for Dixon will be drawing portraits of African-American aviators. He wants to get them in a show. “I hope people enjoy them and get inspired by my drawings,” he said.
Dixon said art is a central part of his life. “I hope to sell more pictures eventually,” he said. “But art is so much more than money to me. It’s a way of life.”
-by Alyssa Harvey Dixon
