Figurative realism

El Norte de Castilla, March 2007 

The painter Monica Dixon inquires into the light in her footwear and interior paintings exposed in Marietta Negueruela Gallery.

Fernando Caballero, Palencia 

The painter Monica Dixon, who was born in the United States but lives in Oviedo, is showing her work at Marietta Negueruela's Gallery, as it is her first show in the city of Palencia.Her work is not unknown in this gallery, since she already participated in several group exhibitions. Her concern with lightis not new to us, using a classical figurative language more realistic that hiperrealistic.  

That concern with light is evident in all her work. The lights and darks become her main plastic motivation. In order to resolv her worry about light, the painter seeks for interior spaces, compositions and still lifes, where the main element is the shoe, an object that is repeated in the exhibition. 

Monica Dixon, whose academic background is very solid, educated in the U.S., is a great painter. A painter with an excellent technique, with an exquisite handling of the drawing and a color palette quite achieved. The precision with which she draws a pair of shoes is extraordinary and the lustre they possess is praise worthy. Based on this good way of working, one should have a clear idea of what she wants, and this painter emphasizes on the aspects of light, reaching a sensational lucidity in works as "Hallway", where the light sources come from the sides or the "Studio with shoes", where light from a powerful white cloth mildly illuminates the workspace of the painter. Or the "Studio with mirror and boots", a monochrome painting where the hues that differentiate between white, black and gray combined with a superb composition. 

The apparent coldness of these paintings -where shoes and other household items stand out- is diluted by the impeccable technique used and especially how she approaches the constant dialogue between artificial and natural light. Shoes acquire an order within the disorder, as evidenced by the pile of shoes she painted. She has a preference for old and worn shoes, but she does not discard painting the new ones in a more colorful way. 

Monica Dixon's interior's have a mysterious atmosphere as "Dollar Café, In which a woman is quietly reading a newspaper spread on the marble table. The painter does not seek for detail, but the minimum figurative references to create sensations. These references have to do with the intelligent way she uses the light resources, in which her work is based on, as well as the correct technique, neat and clean. 

Dixon's paintings, especially the interiors and figures, as the older woman grieving in fthe corridor, have an open atmosphere similar to that of the painter Hopper, which is a reference for this painter exhibiting her work at Marietta Negueruela's Gallery, in  Palencia.