Don Dixon: Space Artist, Animator and Scientific Illustrator
Born in Easton, Pennsylvania in 1951, Don Dixon is a Fellow and co-founder of the International Association of Astronomical Artists (IAAA). His artwork has arguably been viewed by more people than any other living practitioner of space art, having been featured on the covers of Scientific American, Astronomy, Sky and Telescope, Bild der Wissenschaft, and dozens of books, ranging from physics compendiums to the science fiction novels of Isaac Asimov. Since 1991 he has served as Art Director of the Griffith Observatory, high atop Mount Hollywood, where he directed and co-authored the acclaimed full-dome animated film Centered in the Universe. He has been Artist Guest of Honor at several science fiction conventions and has exhibited in Oslo, Berlin, and Washington, D.C.
Don Dixon began his artistic career in the 1970's, creating animation to illustrate NASA's early missions to the planets. He has been a guest of NASA at several space exploration "firsts", such as the Viking 1 landing on Mars and the Pioneer 11 flyby of Saturn, for which he designed the mission logo. Like all in the field, Mr. Dixon was influenced by the work of Chesley Bonestell, who believed that scientific accuracy was essential in the astronomical art genre. He stays abreast of developments in physics and astronomy by consulting with prominent scientists as he illustrates their latest discoveries for popular publications.
His early work was created in acrylics. Since the late 1990's, his scientific illustrations are created digitally, using Photoshop and Cinema 4D on a Mac Powerbook. He creates private commissions and murals using oil paints on canvas or Masonite panel.
He lists van Gogh, Vermeer, and Bierstadt as his favorite artists and says that his work is inspired by some of the ideas of the 3rd century Neoplatonists. "I believe there is a self-organizing principle at work in the universe and our venture into space is a natural response to this. I want to share my sense of awe at nature's beauty, logic, and mystery."
Don Dixon lives with his family in Long Beach, California.
(see also the interviews at "Planetary Radio" , "SFsite" , the Los Angeles Times and a partial Credit List. An informal autobiography might also be of interest.)
