I’ve always loved colour and anything to do with art and creating and painting. I dreamt of having a career as an artist growing up, but it definitely took me a while to find my way to where I am today. While I’ve painted since I can remember, the first time I showed my work publicly was 8 years ago at a local art market. I slowly grew my practice over the years until I felt ready to take the plunge and make it my sole focus in 2017. That year was super transformative - I quit my corporate job, we sold most of our belongings and moved to Europe for a year. Having that time to explore and dream and paint was a total game-changer for my art practice. When we got back to Edmonton I set up my new studio and I’ve been a full-time artist ever since! It’s a dream come true. You truly never know where life will take you.

2. How did you and Lane (PURA's founder) meet? 

My partner Jeremy went to college with Lane, so I heard about her long before we met in person! In fact, not long after Jeremy and I started dating over a decade ago he brought me home a PURA perfume roller that I loved. I think we first met in person when I went to pick up an order or at a local business event. Lane is such a ray of light, I love any chance we get to chat.  Since then, she’s collected some of my artwork and I’ve continued to build my personal PURA apothecary. I’m always inspired by the beautiful business and community Lane has built.

I have many PURA faves, but my absolute go-to products are the Ambrosia Beautifying Serum and Overnight Watermelon Mask. My skin in generally a bit dry, so I layer these products before bed a few nights a week during the winters. They leave my skin feeling so dewy and soft. I’m also totally in love with the new PURA Signature Soap - it’s so luxurious and beautiful and I love the light fragrance that is pretty but not in any way overwhelming. 

3. You are known for your abstract, vibrantly coloured landscape paintings. What is your favourite colour and why? 

That’s a hard question! I love all colour and it’s at the very core of my art practice. If I *have* to choose, but my absolute favourite to paint with is pink. It adds warmth and whimsy to any painting and it also pairs really well with other colours. It also usually feels quite unexpected in landscape paintings which I think adds a bit of fun to pieces.

4. Tell us about the inspiration behind your Daydream series of artwork (featured on PURA's Soap). 

Daydream was my first series in 2020. It was the dead of winter and we were pretty deep into pandemic restrictions. The paintings were born from daydreams of warmer days and an imaginary road trip through the desert that has been on my to-do list for a few years. I haven’t been able to make it to the desert in real life, so I lost myself in what I imagined it would feel like and translated that to my canvas. I experimented with shades of soft pinks, yellows, and terracotta and layers of juicy texture to bring that warmth to life.

5. We are in a cold snap right now....how do you survive the Northern Alberta winters? We need all your wisdom on staying warm and cozy. 

It’s been so cold! I’m not very adventurous when it comes to being outdoors when the temperatures dip way down. I give into all my homebody tendencies to get through the cold spells - I want all the blankets, mint tea, good books and cat snuggles. It’s also a perfect time to start a puzzle! Essentially, I only do activities that can be done wrapped in a blanket with a cat sitting on me. I think the best strategy is to embrace the slower pace a deep freeze tends to bring with it.

Follow Amy Dixon on Instagram @amydixonart

All photos of Amy by Karmen Meyer Photography