Sid Dickens
New Fall Collection is here!
Get ready to ooh and aww over Sid's best collection yet. "Reflections" is the theme of these eight georgeous Memory Blocks.
"The Reflections collection indeed gives us pause to reflect. Look to the past,look within, and especially look forward to a season of change. Perhaps, turn over a new leaf? These stunning new images tell a story of our collective journey through time. Luxurious and refined; this collection is a meditation on the beauty of the pure, sensual pleasures of life. Like a bittersweet love song, these images have the power to invoke memories in rich detail. Regal blues and precious silver mark the collection. Sid's use of images on a mirror-like silver finish is an exciting new flash of brilliance in his artistic oeuvre. The silver hues recall the elegant sparkle of a well-worn mirror. Collectors will need to keep in mind that due to the nature of the silvering process, each of these new pieces will have its own unique finish. Consistent with all Sid Dickens Memory Blocks, they are especially one-of-a-kind. Like a mirror; a work of art contains limitless questions and answers. These bold new works embrace the spirit of exploration. They reflect our pleasures, pains, and promises of hope for the future. What remains constant is our unbreakable connection to one another, no matter where the wind may take us next."
Luke Edward & Company is proud to be selected by Sid Dickens as a dealer for his Memory Blocks. We carry all of his blocks that are currently in production, including all of the new Zodiac series. We also have a large selection of retired tiles. Once a tile is retired it is no longer produced and available only on the collector's market. Sid releases a new series of Memory Blocks each spring and fall. He then retires approximately the same number of blocks. Be sure to sign up for our email list so we can notify you as soon as possible.
The amazing thing about Sid Dicken's Memory Blocks—beyond their artistry and decorative appeal is the sentiment he writes on the back of each one. These blocks appeal on three levels: As beautiful and decorative works of art; and by theme and subject which allows one to relate on a personal level; and the sentiment which helps crystalize the concept both personally and romantically. We have not met a customer who could not relate to at least one, and often several, of these gems as either a decorative object, remembrance, meaningful gift or collector's item (or all of the above.)
Sid Dickens is a native of Prince Rupert, British Columbia, Canada. Like most folks in this area, he supported himself as a commercial fisherman. He trained at the prestigious Emily Carr College of Art and Design in Vancouver and in 1984 opened his own studio. In 1987, after an inspirational trip to Europe that Dickens regards as pivotal to his artistic development, he relocated his Vancouver studio to a waterfront location on the Queen Charlotte Islands (Haida Gwaii) at the most North Western point of Canada's British Columbian coast. It was here that his unique organic art began to attract critical attention. In 1988, one of his assemblages, created entirely of organic materials, was chosen for the poster of a retrospective of young Canadian artists held at the Museum of Natural Sciences in Ottawa, Ontario.
In 1989, Dickens attended the Instituto De Allende in the internationally renowned artists' colony of San Miguel de Allende in the north central mountains of Mexico. For two years he studied sculpture and bronze casting, and began a spiritual journey that would later take him to such places as Egypt and Peru where the influences of these cultures are evident in his work. In 1991, Sid Dickens returned to Vancouver and established a new studio in the historical heart of Vancouver. It was here that he found his preferred medium of plaster and created the first prototypes for his series of 6 by 8-inch decorative wall plaques, naming them "Memory Blocks." Today, his Memory Blocks are internationally acclaimed. They have attracted the attention of both celebrities and media alike. Stars such as Jann Arden, Sarah McLachlan, Allyssa Milano, Cher, Vanessa Williams, and Hilary Duff are avid tile collectors Memory Blocks are hand crafted plaster, 6" x 8" x 1 1/4", finished to a porcelain-like quality, cracked to create an aged look and feel.
Sid Dickens' work is produced by a group of 30 young emerging artists in his Vancouver studio. Each Memory Blocks is hand poured hydrostone plaster, all tiles are hand painted (the Iron Series requires 3 coats), silver and gold leafing is done by hand, and finally the Memory Blocks are hand stained. We consider each Memory Block a piece of art, there are over 5 people that do work on each one of them. There are many copies on the market, which have the look of being mass produced, as most of them are. The hours of work that go into creating each Memory Block make them each an individual collectible treasure.