Collection: Lindsay Dawson Artist Biography and Art Gallery Collection

Lindsay Dawson (born December 21,1959 in Palo Alto, California) is an internationally collected American painter and a frequent guest on the Fine Art Showcase television show. Lindsay Dawson is best known for his idealized impressionistic paintings of women and children in beach and garden settings, and romantic (usually retrospective) Americana scenes. His subject matter is often romantic, sentimental, or nostalgic. Almost all his early paintings were of his childhood, childhood memories, or contemporary family life. Lindsay Dawson's paintings have a unique style (at times almost naïve) that tend to have a simple innocence that transports the viewer into another world, often that of childhood memories.

Lindsay Dawson"s interest and talent in art was recognized very early, and by the time he was fifteen he had been admitted into an accelerated high school art program. After high school he was accepted into the prestigious Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. At Art Center he studied under Dan McCaw, Harry Carmean, Ted Youngkin, Eugene Fleary, and Valerie Winslow. At Art Center he developed a great respect for classical drawing and traditional painting. As he studied art history, he was inspired by the great masters of the 19th and 20th centuries, but especially Monet, John Singer Sargent, William Merrit Chase, and Joaquin Sorolla. To supplement his formal training at Art Center he also attended anatomical dissections and anatomy lectures at UCLA extension courses. While staying true to traditional methods of painting in both concept and technique he realized that his art also needed to be infused with emotion and feelings. It was at this time that he began to push his work towards impressionism, and started choosing subject matter that portrayed an idealized life and set of values.

After Art Center Lindsay Dawson entered the commercial art field and worked as a staff artist on He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, and She-Ra: Princess of Power (Filmation Associates, Reseda, California); G. I. Joe, Transformers, and Jem (Marvel Productions Ltd., Los Angeles, California); and Baltimore's Six Flags Power Plant theme park design (Landmark Entertainment, Hollywood, California). He soon became known as one of the best artists in the movie and animation industry, working for such clients as NBC, Universal Studios, Marvel Productions, and Filmation Studios. Over the years, he became disenchanted with commercial art and decided he wanted to create something more lasting.

In 1984 Lindsay Dawson entered a creative piece in the California Arts League annual show and won first prize. In 1985 he was invited to have his first one-man show at the Disney Gallery (Burbank, California). He continued his commercial work alongside his Gallery work until 1991 when he joined Cottage Gallery in Carmel, California. He joined several more galleries shortly thereafter including: Waterhouse Gallery, Santa Barbara, California (1992); Joan Baker’s Garden Gallery, Half Moon Bay, California (1992); and The Sunbird Gallery, Los Altos California (1994). In 2000 he signed an exclusive worldwide contract with Marco Fine Arts, (El Segundo, California). Marco introduced the Nation to Dawson’s work by publishing his original paintings as limited edition serigraphs. In addition, Dawson’s art was promoted in a national tour in which it was also showcased at the New York Art Expo, Atlanta Art Expo, and San Francisco Art Expo. All of the original Marco editions have sold out.

In 2002 the entire fleet of ships in the Princess Cruise Lines began exhibiting and selling Lindsay Dawson’s art on all their onboard art galleries, and in so doing a base of international collectors began to grow and acquire his work. In 2005 (with his international market continuing to expand) he started his affiliation with the exclusive Barry Chappell’s Fine Art Showcase, a national television show that is transmitted to 50 million homes three times a week. Dawson regularly appears live on the show, and is one of only six artists that Mr. Chappell interviews on a regular basis. In addition, Dawson was one of only four artists to be featured on Master’s Month two years in a row (2005 and 2006). Dawson is the only living impressionist they represent.

Lindsay Dawson's paintings and prints are distinguished by his loyalty to the Impressionistic ideals, and to the American Scene Painters of the early 1900's. His subject matter is often romantic, sentimental, or nostalgic.  Since the early nineties he has expanded his subject matter to include American genre scenes. There is also an emphasis on candid and casual moments with very little affectation. Posed and or staged subjects are avoided for the most part.Today his paintings are collected around the world from Japan to France. Since 1985, Dawson has had an extensive exhibition history, appeared on national television numerous times, garnered various national and international awards and prizes and is involved with many of the leading art organizations around the country including Oil Painters of America. In addition to his individual art collectors, major corporations, including Blue Shield Insurance, Nabisco, Cadbury Schweppes, Pac Bell, Cingular Wireless and Toyota, have also purchased Dawson’s artwork. Dawson is also the recipient of numerous national and international awards for his work including The California Arts League Best of Show, and The Bemerkenswert Award (meaning distinguished and remarkable), Festival Der Nationen, Austria.

Lindsay Dawson continues to paint out of Sherman Oaks, California where he currently resides with his wife, Cathy.