Javaun Dixon is a 19-year-old artist hailing from the city of Brockton. Dixon is hungry to gain more exposure through his art. Currently, he is a student at Bridgewater State University majoring in graphic design.
Dixon was initially exposed to art around the age of seven. He gravitated towards art because of his older brother Javante.
“When Javante started to draw I would watch the way he drew because I didn’t know how to draw as well. That was for a couple of years until I was about nine,” says Dixon.
Since the age of nine, Dixon has expanded from just drawing. Today, he uses paint, oil pastels, oil paint and more. He has explored different mediums such as photography and digital imaging as well.
Dixon has a certain routine when he begins to draw. First, he finds a playlist to listen to and then he starts drawing on a pad of paper. Usually, he searches for lo-fi hip hop on YouTube. Then, based on what comes to his mind, he will begin to sketch. “Even if it’s just chicken scratch, I keep sketching until I get a fortified image,” he says.
Growing up in Brockton has influenced the way Dixon creates his art. Brockton is an urban city and Dixon sees the way that people dress and they have an urban fashion. Sometimes he might create characters with a fashion that reflects Brockton. Dixon feels that the environment is different when he’s at BSU where there are “wide open ranges, but it in Brockton it’s more citywide.”
Dixon is also influenced by local artists Daluzions and Kasprim because he enjoys their art. Other influences include rappers Playboi Carti and Isaiah Rashad and singer Anderson .Paak. Another influence is contemporary artist Takashi Murakami who founded the artist management company Kaikai Kiki.
Art is interpreted in many different ways and it’s based on perspective. “When I draw, I try to get a feel out of people,” says Dixon.
“I try to get on a spiritual or mental level with someone so they know they’re not alone. So I might cover emotions like depression, anger or rage.”
Dixon’s favorite piece is a self-portrait he made in high school titled “Red.” Dixon’s art teacher wanted his students to select a picture of themselves and magnify a part of their body. So, Dixon picked a photo he posted on Instagram and decided to magnify his face.
“I noticed that everyone in my class was doing their regular skin tones. I didn’t want to do my regular skin tone so I chose the medium of red.”
First, Dixon painted the background starting with a dark orange to signify flames towards the top and then used red at the bottom. Then, he drew out his character using chalk pastel. After he got the figure of his face, he decided what parts of his face would have a darker tone or a lighter tone. After that, Dixon worked on his hand and then onto his hat.
“I bought this Wu-Tang bucket hat back when I was 14 or 15. It was when I listened to a lot of Wu-Tang Clan and I bought this hat because it was a limited time hat. I didn’t want to mess up the style of the hat so I kept it black and white.”
Lastly, Dixon described how in his art class symbols were important and how he integrated them into his piece.
“At first, when I painted Red, it was just the white circle around my head. I thought back in history when they drew halos around Christ figures and it would be a gold circle around their heads. I didn’t want anyone thinking I’m a god-like figure so I incorporated the sun. So, I took these sixes and curved them around with a paintbrush.”
Dixon has had multiple opportunities to display his art. He had a couple of art shows in high school during his junior and senior year. Dixon also had an art show for the Brockton Mag and on Dover Street in Brockton. He submitted two pieces at BSU and they were both accepted to be displayed in the Maxwell Library. A few other pieces have been displayed in the hallways of BSU and he looks to display more in the future.
Daluzions shared his thoughts on Dixon’s art: “His art is truly something to take in. He knows how to separate himself and his work from others. He knows how to put his own touch on everything and it makes him a true artist and he’s one of a kind.”
As an up and coming artist, Javaun Dixon would like to expand his style by working on InDesign and Adobe Illustrator. Dixon has been creating more logos for people since logos are on any type of business or style. Dixon is in school and he doesn’t have as much time as he would like to draw. He says, “consistency is important and I want to display my art at different schools and states. I have to get more pieces out as well as get more supplies so I can make more designs. I have to post more online so other people know I’m still working and progressing.”
You can check out more of Dixon’s art on his Instagram @draw.von and on his main account @voni_abstract.