Dion Hitchings grew up in Saint Louis, Missouri where he attended Washington University – School of Fine Arts earning his Bachelor of Fine Arts. After finishing school, Dion worked as a fashion illustrator and then became an art director in Chicago at Evans Furs and Marshall Fields department store. After a few years Dion moved to New York City where he served as art director at Bloomingdales, collaborating with some of the best in the business. While working in commercial art, Dion never stopped drawing and creating art of his own. In the early to mid 2000’s, Dion moved to Milford, New Jersey and dedicated himself to becoming a full time fine artist.

 

The art that Dion creates draws inspiration from a variety places such as dreams, indigenous people, religion, animals, celebrities and even The Jerry Springer show. Dion’s art is colorful, self-revealing, emotional and childlike in spirit. He intentionally works with nontraditional media, using children’s art supplies including crayons, markers, and colored pens. Consumer boxes and other found objects serve as a drawing surface that enables him to break down the preexisting print, images, and textures allowing the elements of the surface to organically become a part the work.

 

For his exhibit “ICU” at Speakeasy Art Gallery opening April 6, 2018, Dion will show a combination of animal and human portraits. The title refers to the perspective of his subjects and how they engage the viewer. The exhibit will also include a new series of drawings based on the seven deadly sins. Each work in the series will feature the animals and colors associated with each sin.