Biography

Andy Dickson is a painter and printmaker from Long Beach, California. He grew up in Southern and Central California and was introduced to landscape painting at a young age through his family’s friendships with southwest painter Joella Jean Mahoney and American watercolorist Milford Zornes. In 1998, Andy took a watercolor workshop with Zornes, which inspired him to pursue landscape painting as a career. A year later, he began attending California State University Long Beach, where he was able to study with Yu Ji and Domenic Cretara, two outstanding teachers who emphasized an observational approach to painting and drawing. After completing his MFA, Andy developed a love for teaching art. For the past fifteen years he has been a professor in the Art Department at California State University, Fullerton, where he specializes in teaching foundation courses in painting and drawing.

From the flood channels of the Los Angeles River and industrial landscapes of the Port of Long Beach to remote desert spaces, much of Andy’s artwork can be characterized by its focus on ordinary and unconventional locations that are often overlooked. He has developed a unique body of work dedicated to the landscape of the Salton Sea in the California desert and has participated in multiple exhibitions related to the recognition and preservation of this unique and under-appreciated region of California.

During the 2018-19 academic year, Andy was the Resident Director of California State University’s International Program in Florence, Italy. Andy, his wife, and three children reside in Long Beach, California. Andy also maintains his family’s home on the North Shore of the Salton Sea, where he frequently paints on location in the surrounding desert.