B I O G R A P H Y Brian Dickerson creates dimensional paintings using local wood and many layers of oil paint. Staying away from brushes, he uses palette knives and other tools to first build the layers of paint, and then later to scratch into them, exposing some of the brighter colors underneath. With each painting taking up to a year to finish, it’s no wonder that viewers are captivated by the textures and changed complexion of the wood. More than simply viewing the art, one gets the sense of almost entering it.The heavily layered and reworked surfaces in Dickerson's painted wood constructions reveal a deeply felt process of exploration. He envisions remembered landscapes in his iconic three-dimensional paintings. Each work contains hidden forms and apertures that suggest an almost inaccessible mystery. Seen as objects, these paintings redefine our notions of sacred space and provide an opportunity for contemplation. Brian Dickerson grew up in the Schoharie Valley, located in the Helderberg Mountain region of upstate New York. Following a high school visit to the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts he moved to Philadelphia where he is now a professor at the Art Institute of Philadelphia and Philadelphia University.Dickerson's work has been exhibited in the Butler Institute of American Art, the National Academy of Design, Woodmere Museum, Opalka Gallery - Sage College, and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, among other fine art institutions. In 2010, he was awarded a Franz and Virginia Bader Fund Grant. He received a Ballinglen Foundation Fellowship in 2008, traveling to Ballycastle, County Mayo, Ireland, in 2009, 2010 and 2011. Brian is also scheduled to have an exhibit in Paris, France in the near future.