Rick Dickinson grew up in West Sand Lake, New York, where he first painted as a teen. Fast forward to 2007 when, after enjoying a successful career as an executive in the construction industry, he returned to his love of oil painting on a full time basis. Come to the Southport Memorial Library during the month of July to see some of the artist’s works.

Dickinson has a goal: to refine his craft, to develop to the point that he could be considered one of the next generation of painters as skilled as the members of “The Ten,” 10 painters in the early 1900s who defined the pinnacle of American Painting and craftsmanship. Presently on display at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston are the works of “The Ten” including Frank W. Benson, William McGregor Paxton, Joseph Rodefer DeCamp, and Edmund C. Tarbell.

The style “The Ten” crafted and began teaching became the tradition of a “Boston School” painter. Many who see Dickinson's work agree he has demonstrated he is a Boston School painter. He says “he has not arrived yet.” If the learning ever ends, the fun will stop, and the story will be over. As you observe his work you will see the evolution of his skills as he works to become a Boston School painter.

“There comes a time when change is just going to happen. It may not be part of any grand plan or completely thought through beforehand. It just happens,” Dickinson said. “My work has changed greatly as I move from the expressive freedom and highly chromatic work of the Cape School of impressionism to the beautiful and thoroughly rendered form of impressionism in the tradition of the Boston School. I enjoy both forms.

“The joy and frustration come from the attempt to create with spots of colored oil the impression that nature provides the smash of light, the atmosphere, the season, modified by the time of day and weather. The appeal is that the results never fully meet the objective, and my truth is that I hope the two never meet because then the learning may stop and the game may be over.”

Dickinson and his wife, Pandora, maintain homes and studios in Manchester, New Hampshire and Southport Island. For more on the artist, visit http://dickinsonart.com.

The Southport Memorial Library's summer hours begin in July. The library is open Tuesday through Thursday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. with evening hours on Tuesday and Thursday from 7 to 9. The library is located at 1032 Hendrick’s Hill Road on Southport Island.