Manifest destiny.
It started with stick figures. “You gotta start somewhere,” he laughed. Tyler Dixon had always loved drawing. The stick figures turned into characters in the margins of his papers. His teacher noticed he had a knack for it and encouraged his parents to get him into an art program. They did, and pretty soon he moved to private lessons in middle school. By the time he got to high school, he was under the tutelage of a college instructor. He decided to study art in college. After a few transfers, he reasoned that he could continue to pay the college to give him assignments or he could get paid to complete the assignments he wanted to complete.
He chose the latter.
After working in the music business for a while, designing merchandise for local bands, he was randomly gifted a large canvas and took to painting. Painting isn’t even where it started for Dixon; his background was in pen and ink. The canvas provided a space for complete creativity and Dixon realized how painting at a large scale allowed space for details.
Once painting was a daily activity, he started noticing storefronts with painted windows. He was intrigued and his artist’s eye started analyzing what he might have done differently. Where details might be added or perspectives changed.
It is said, if you do what you love, you won’t work a day in your life. Dixon took that literally and realized that he could make a business doing what he loved.
He hit the pavement with his portfolio and a desire to share his art for a living.
He started painting Christmas windows for local businesses. Soon, they were hiring him for other large holidays. He transitioned into murals for businesses, either indoor or outdoor. Commissions for murals in residential houses was next for him. One of his more recent commissions was a home featured in the Parade of Homes.
Impressionism and semi-realism, creating whimsical dreamscapes is how he describes his style. However, looking through his portfolio, it doesn’t appear there is anything Dixon can’t do. He has re-painted rock surfaces onto a fireplace that was painted over by the previous homeowner. He has also painted a Jimi Hendrix memorial mural as a stage background for a live music venue in Charleston, South Carolina.
“We are all here to create,” he muses. “I get to work with others to bring their dream or vision to life.”
Website: https://tylerdixonmurals.wixsite.com/website
Facebook + Instagram: @TylerDixonMurals
