Dick Jemison
Modern West celebrates the life and work of Alabama-based artist Dick Jemison, who passed away on July 10, 2024.
Dick Jemison was an incredible artist and collector who held an unwavering passion for the arts. He was inspired by the diverse cultures and experiences he encountered, which influenced his life, work and collection. Jemison was a colorist at heart and had an astute sensibility of when and how to use his expansive palette.
Jemison was innovative in his practice and always found ways to expand upon his own knowledge and technique – whether through mixing materials, layering with found objects, and exploring texture and light. He saw the beauty in everything and was driven to preserve the ideas and materials that were often overlooked.
A true southern gentleman, Dick Jemison charmed generations of artists and art appreciators, creating a life that would extend beyond his own. We honor and acknowledge his contributions to our network of arts communities and his legacy in expanding our ways of seeing.
Unreleased Interview with the Artist / 2022
Can you tell us about your background?
I was born in Montgomery, Alabama and spent my early years in Birmingham. At about 17 I went off to the Choate school in Wallingford, Connecticut and then an education that included The University of North Carolina, The StudentsArt League, and a masters in painting from the University of Georgia. I have also traveled a lot of the world and lived in different places. I lived and worked in Santa Fe, New Mexico for 20 years. I now live back in Birmingham.
DID YOU ALWAYS KNOW YOU WANTED TO BE AN ARTIST?
Pretty much, yes. I always had paints and supplies around to work on art projects. When I was 18 I saw a Sam Francis painting at the MoMA and the light went on. I just decided that was just what I wanted to do. I have always been fascinated with the history of art and the artist's place in it. I love the freedom, the lifestyle, and also the isolation... if you can imagine it, you can do it.
YOU ARE QUITE THE COLORIST AND USE A VARIETY OF MEDIUMS. CAN YOU SHARE WITH US A LITTLE ABOUT YOUR PROCESS?
I feel like working with color is sort of an innate kind of thing. It’s not something you can really teach. Each of us have our own emotional attachment to certain colors and you just move them around until they sort of speak to you. It will be used eventually.
Dick Jemison, 'Oracle,' 2020, mixed media, 12 x 84 in. each, $12,600
My main paint is an acrylic called Lascaux. I use it with sand and different mediums to get my texture. Because I don’t like the shiny or plastic quality of the paint I use industrial glass beads to prevent that. The beads are what gives the reflection you see in my work. I also experiment a lot with collage materials I find on the street in junkyards or wherever. Experimenting and trying new materials and colors is the fun part for me. Keep experimenting.
HOW HAS YOUR WORK EVOLVED, YET REMAINED DISTINCTLY YOUR OWN?
I think that what sort of makes the work my own is my technique. The effects I get are sort of hard to emulate and I often can not remember how I got certain effects. What you get is really one of a kind. I hope the work is evolving, but after 50 years I still find myself operating in certain perimeters and using certain images that just seem to be part of who I am. I'm always looking for new ideas and images and a new arena.
WHAT CAN YOU SHARE AS ADVICE FOR EMERGING ARTISTS?
For young artists – this will not be a problem – but, you will need to learn how the internet can help you and get your work to where it can be appreciated. I would advise that you try to show your art in different parts of the country. I would advise you create your own web page.
There are still so many new ways that are going to be developed to show art, but with your own web page you will have more control. The support of a good gallery is still the goal, but it's tough as there are so many artists now. I just have a very deep need to make art so I'm sure you do too but in the end you really got to love it.
AS AN AVID COLLECTOR AND ARTIST, HOW DOES YOUR COLLECTING INFORM YOUR ARTWORK AND VICE VERSA?
I'm always looking at interesting art and getting inspired by great ideas I see in art. I'm pretty sure most ideas have been explored by artists in some form. I am very grateful to get inspiration from all kinds of art.
The trick is to assimilate those ideas and sort of make them your own. We are all as artists just influenced by ideas in art that has come before us. It’s only human to want to use these ideas in some form or another.
