Rhonda Dicksion

Last updated

In the early 1990s, a freelance author named Rhonda Dicksion entered the scene as a queer cartoonist. She published multiple lesbian-focused cartoons in a turbulent time for the lesbian community that were considered lighthearted, joyful, and normalizing lesbian as well as interracial relationships. She contributed to multiple LGBTQ+ journals and anthologies. She additionally published her own cartooning books and comics with Naiad press. Later in life, Dicksion went into the Fine Arts sector and pioneered many new techniques in the colored pencil art industry.

Contents

Biography

Rhonda Dicksion was born in Los Angeles to "patient and understanding" parents. She started painting and drawing since she had a nursery. [1] She credits her start in cartooning, according to an interview with Tom Flint in Seattle Gay News, to influences such as Mickey Mouse, Mighty Mouse, and Underdog. [2] She now lives in rural Monroe, WA where she had resided with her partner Krysta Gibson and their corgis since 1981. [3]

Career

1990s

Before her time as a cartoonist, Rhonda Dicksion worked "drawing" for various newspapers. [2]

Her first published work, The Lesbian Survival Manual hit the shelves on September 1, 1990, published by Naiad Press Publishing. Known as her most famous and debut work, Dicksion intended to reflect the middle-class lesbian “dilemma” in a series of cartoons. [4] She claims that what got her started working The Lesbian Survival Manual came a year prior to publishing. Her inspiration came in 1989 when she saw a cartoon-idea submission contest in The Lesbian Contradiction, a journal for "irreverent feminism". [5] She later submitted six cartoons, four of which were published, one of which was put on the cover of issue number 26. [2] Her comics were later seen in other issues depicting more "survival hints" for lesbians such as issue 27, page 17, [6] issue 28, page 2, [7] and issue 29 pages 3, 7, 9, and 12. [8] Dicksion's work also shows up in issues 30-48 of The Lesbian Contradiction. Her style was described as different from many cartoonists due to her lack of characters. In most of her cartoons, Dicksion said that the caricatures were "not characters" but different for every scenario to retain relatability. She also claims to be less of a story teller and more of a "graphic artist". [2]

Her next contribution was published in 1992, titled The Erotic Naiad. The Erotic Naiad is a collaboration among different Naiad Press lesbian authors to create an anthology of prominent issues in love and sex. [9] Later, on October 1, 1993, Dicksion published Stay Tooned, also with Naiad Press Publishing Inc, a collection of comics portraying lesbian relationships. [1] On the back of the book, Rhonda is referred to as "one of the sharpest funniest observers of the lesbian scene". [1] Later, in 1998, Rhonda contributed to the Gay Comix issues 15-17 and issue 25. [10] She also contributed to Dyke Strippers: Lesbian Cartoonists from A-Z, an anthology for lesbian cartoonists to share their work in a collected work. [11]

In an interview with Tsuga Fine Art, Dicksion describes her working on cartooning as the help she needed to find her identity as a queer person and author as well as develop her work ethic and skills for later in life when she entered the fine arts business, [12] To Dicksion, the queer community is a group "all together and all moving forward". Creating comics was her "own way of helping the group move forward" as well as just "making people laugh". [2]

2010s

Dicksion became less active as a cartoonist post-1990s. She was not active in the early 2000s and later began contributing to the Fine Art's community in 2014. At first, she believed there were too many barriers to entry as she didn't have any degrees or schooling in art, but she soon found that breaking into that world merely required talent and innovation. [12] She discovered different techniques such as using drafting film as a canvas, a now very popular and common medium for artists due to the depth in color. Her works were not recognized until the later 2010s when her shows began winning awards and she drifted completely into fine arts. She is now the editor-in-chief of Color Magazine, the oldest magazine focused on colored pencil art. [13] Rhonda continues to encourage young people and especially young queer people to get into art to express themselves and to realize that the barriers to entry are not as scary as they seem. [14]

Recognition

Honors and memberships

  1. Arizona Artist's Guild Member [15]
  2. Colored Pencil Society UK Member [14]
  3. Colored Pencil Society of America [16]

Rhonda Dicksion has been an active member of the Colored Pencil Society of America since 2018. [16] She additionally joined the UK Colored Pencil Society in 2019. [14]

Awards and reception

  1. Lyra Award for Exceptional Merit [17]
  2. Edmond's Art Festival, 1st Place [17]
  3. Edmond's Art Festival, 2nd Place [17]

Rhonda Dicksion is the recipient of many awards attributed to her fine arts career. The Lyra Award for Exceptional Merit was given at one of her art shows titled Desert Gods, [17] a colored pencil art show. One of her works titled Still Life With Harvey won second place at the Edmonds Art Festival in 2019 and another titled Wanderlust won first place. [17] Rhonda Dicksion was instated as a member of the Arizona Artists' guild after her Desert Gods show in 2017. Rhonda Dicksion's colored pencil artwork was critiqued by Carolyn Shark in a blogpost issue on artsyshark described as "colorful, unique, vibrant, and bold" as well as inspired by her earlier work in cartooning as lighthearted and joyful. [18]

Related Research Articles

Diane DiMassa is an American feminist artist, noted as creator of the alternative cartoon character Hothead Paisan, Homicidal Lesbian Terrorist, whose wild antics have been described as rage therapy for the marginalised. DiMassa is also active in oil painting and street art.

<i>Hothead Paisan</i> Alternative comic by Diane DiMassa

Hothead Paisan: Homicidal Lesbian Terrorist is an alternative comic written and drawn by Diane DiMassa published 1991–1998. It features the title character generally wreaking violent vengeance on male oppressors. Recurring characters include Hothead's cat Chicken, her wise mystical friend Roz, a talking lamp, and her lover Daphne.

Noreen Stevens is a Canadian cartoonist, who illustrated and wrote the lesbian comic strip The Chosen Family. Her work in the field of comics began in 1984. The Chosen Family is featured in the ensemble comic book Dyke Strippers: Lesbian Cartoonists from A to Z alongside the likes of Diane DiMassa and Alison Bechdel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lesbian pulp fiction</span> Genre of fiction

Lesbian pulp fiction is a genre of lesbian literature that refers to any mid-20th century paperback novel or pulp magazine with overtly lesbian themes and content. Lesbian pulp fiction was published in the 1950s and 1960s by many of the same paperback publishing houses as other genres of fiction, including westerns, romances, and detective fiction. Because very little other literature was available for and about lesbians at this time, quite often these books were the only reference the public had for modeling what lesbians were. English professor Stephanie Foote commented on the importance of lesbian pulp novels to the lesbian identity prior to the rise of organized feminism: "Pulps have been understood as signs of a secret history of readers, and they have been valued because they have been read. The more they are read, the more they are valued, and the more they are read, the closer the relationship between the very act of circulation and reading and the construction of a lesbian community becomes…. Characters use the reading of novels as a way to understand that they are not alone."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT themes in comics</span>

In comics, LGBT themes are a relatively new concept, as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) themes and characters were historically omitted from the content of comic books and their comic strip predecessors due to anti-gay censorship. LGBT existence was included only via innuendo, subtext and inference. However the practice of hiding LGBT characters in the early part of the twentieth century evolved into open inclusion in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, and comics explored the challenges of coming-out, societal discrimination, and personal and romantic relationships between gay characters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lee Marrs</span> American cartoonist and animator

Lee Marrs is an American cartoonist and animator, and one of the first female underground comix creators. She is best known for her comic book series The Further Fattening Adventures of Pudge, Girl Blimp, which lasted from 1973 to 1977.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tee Corinne</span> American artist

Tee A. Corinne was an American photographer, author, and editor notable for the portrayal of sexuality in her artwork. According to Completely Queer: The Gay and Lesbian Encyclopedia, "Corinne is one of the most visible and accessible lesbian artists in the world."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barbara Grier</span> American writer and publisher (1933-2011)

Barbara Grier was an American writer and publisher. She is credited for having built the lesbian book industry. After editing The Ladder magazine, published by the lesbian civil rights group Daughters of Bilitis, she co-founded a lesbian book-publishing company Naiad Press, which achieved publicity and became the world's largest publisher of lesbian books. She built a major collection of lesbian literature, catalogued with detailed indexing of topics.

Mary Wings is an active American cartoonist, writer, and artist. She is known for highlighting lesbian themes in her work. In 1973, she made history by releasing Come Out Comix, the first lesbian comic book. She is also known for her series of detective novels featuring lesbian heroine Emma Victor. Divine Victim, Wings' only Gothic novel, won the Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Mystery in 1994.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jennifer Camper</span> Artist

Jennifer Camper is a cartoonist and graphic artist whose work is inspired by her own experiences as a Lebanese-American lesbian. Her work has been included in various outlets such as newspapers and magazines since the 1980s, as well as in exhibits in Europe and the United States. Furthermore, Camper is the creator and founding director of the biennial Queers and Comics conference.

Jacki Randall is an American cartoonist, tattoo artist, musician, and writer. Born in Los Angeles in 1959, Randall first garnered attention for her lesbian focused cartoons in the Baltimore Gaypaper in 1981. Her comics have been featured in publications such as Gay Comics, The Baltimore Sun, On Our Backs, and Lesbian Connection. Randall is currently based in Baltimore, Maryland, where she works as a tattoo artist.

Tamsin Elizabeth Wilton was an English lesbian activist, and the UK’s first Professor of Human Sexuality. She researched and wrote extensively about gay and lesbian health, the process of transitioning to lesbianism, and the marginalisation of lesbian issues within sexuality studies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Erika Moen</span> American comic book artist (born 1983)

Erika Moen is an American comic book artist, known for her autobiographical comic DAR, and the educational/erotic comic Oh Joy, Sex Toy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jon Macy</span> Gay American cartoonist

Jon Macy is a gay American cartoonist. He began his career in 1990 with the series Tropo published September 1990 – April 1992 by Blackbird Comics. Since then, he has contributed to various LGBT comics anthologies and gay pornographic magazines, but he is best known for his graphic novel Teleny and Camille, which won a 2010 Lambda Literary Award for Gay Erotica.

Kate Charlesworth is a British cartoonist and artist who has produced comics and illustrations since the 1970s. Her work has appeared in LGBT publications such as The Pink Paper, Gay News, Strip AIDS, Dyke's Delight, and AARGH, as well as The Guardian, The Independent, and New Internationalist. Lesbian and Gay Studies: A Critical Introduction calls her a "notable by-and-for lesbian" cartoonist.

Andrea Natalie is an American cartoonist. She is the creator of the Stonewall Riots collections and founded the Lesbian Cartoonists' Network.

Burton Clarke is a gay African-American alternative cartoonist. He is known for his contributions to the rise of LGBT comics and his focus on representing gay men of all races and classes in his art, using a mix of realism and fantasy to tackle complex issues such as internalized racism and homophobia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nicole Ferentz</span>

Nicole Ferentz is an American cartoonist, illustrator, graphic designer, and teacher. Her works cover feminist themes, lesbian themes, and themes of illness. Her comics have been featured in prominent queer comics like Gay Comics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">N. Leigh Dunlap</span> American cartoonist and artist (b. 1961)

N. Leigh Dunlap is an American graphic designer, actor, illustrator, cartoonist and copywriter. She is best known for her cartoonist contributions named Morgan Calabrese. Throughout her career, Dunlap has published much material surrounding LGBTQ+ activism and was a winner of the 2nd Lambda Literary Award under the humor category.

Michelle Rau is an American cartoonist, writer, and artist known for publishing her cartoon zine, Lana's World. She was an active contributor in the alternative publishing, queer zine, and comics landscape of the 1980s and 1990s.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Dicksion, Rhonda (1993). Stay Tooned (1st ed.). Washington: Naiad Press Publishing Inc.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Flint, Tom (1992). "Eat Your Heart Out Mickey Mouse; Rhonda Dicksion gains national attention". Seattle Gay News. pp. 24–25.
  3. ↑ Dicksion, Rhonda (2021). "901 Art "Rhonda Dicksion"". 901 Art. Retrieved 2022-11-25.
  4. ↑ Dicksion, Rhonda (1990). The lesbian survival manual : cartoons. Naiad Press. ISBN   0-941483-71-1. OCLC   21524722.
  5. ↑ "Special Cartoon Issue". The Lesbian Contradiction (26). 1989 – via The Archives of Sexuality and Gender.
  6. ↑ Hart, Nett (1989). "Lesbian Abundance and The American Dream". The Lesbian Contradiction (27): 17 – via The Archives of Sexuality and Gender.
  7. ↑ Jewell, Terry (1989). "OA Versus The Love of BLT". The Lesbian Contradiction (28): 1 – via The Archives of Sexuality and Gender.
  8. ↑ Dicksion (artist), Rhonda (1989). "issue 29". The Lesbian Contradiction (29): 3, 7, 9, 12 – via The Archives of Sexuality and Gender.
  9. ↑ Dicksion, Rhonda (1992). The Erotic Naiad. Naiad Press. ISBN   9781562800260.
  10. ↑ "Gay Comix issue 25". Gay Comics (25): 48, 74. 1998.
  11. ↑ Warren, Roz (1995). Dyke Strippers: Lesbian Cartoonists from A-Z (1st ed.). Cleis PR.
  12. 1 2 Waverley, Hannah, “Interview with Rhonda Dicksion”, Tsuga Fine Arts Association, (September 14th, 2021) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DaEXx5dPelU
  13. ↑ Dicksionhttps, Rhonda (October 2021). "Editor in Chief". Annkullberg.com, Color Magazine.
  14. 1 2 3 Colored Pencil Society UK, “Rhonda Dicksion”, CPSUK, (2020-present) https://ukcps.org.uk/index.php/award-winners/398-award-dicksion
  15. ↑ "Memberships". Arizona Artists Guild. 2020. Retrieved 2022-11-25.
  16. 1 2 Colored Pencil Society America, “Rhonda Dicksion Portfolio”, CPSA, (2018-present) https://www.cpsa212-arizona.org/uploads/1/0/1/4/101460856/cpsa_212_portfolio_page_rhonda_dicksion__1_.pdf
  17. 1 2 3 4 5 Dicksion, Rhonda. "Rhonda Dicksion". Rhondadicksion.com. Retrieved 2022-10-25.
  18. ↑ Carolyn (2020-07-27). "Vibrant and Bold Color Pencil Drawings by Rhonda Dicksion I Artsy Shark". Artsy Shark. Retrieved 2022-10-25.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.