I live in Ave Maria, Florida, where I make art, raise my tribe of kids, cook, chauffeur, make music. Sometimes I run, too.

After 15 years of owning and running restaurants, and painfully NOT making art, and waiting for the ‘right’ time, I started to weave in some drawing and painting right in the middle of everything else.

I felt like my portrait drawing skills needed work, so I set a goal to draw 100 of them in 2017. I did it! 2018 goals: 120 portraits, 100 days of drawing old people, and 12 oil paintings.

A portrait holds a glimpse of personality, a flash of the soul, and can be a touchstone. It can be a bond. We all need these rich and daily reminders of our deep connections to each other, to our children, our parents, our siblings. Beauty is a profound human need. Life can be an overwhelming torrent. I get all this out of making a simple portrait. I catch my breath, draw on moments of ordinary beauty, and make little islands of peace in everyday life.

Want to see what I am making? What else am I doing? Look at my Instagram feed. You can click the button above to see my photos, drawings, paintings, more. Stay tuned for an art blog coming later this year. If you’d like to get in touch, feel free to say hello:

http://fb.me/MonicaDixArtist