Deanna Dikeman (b.1954) lives and works in Kansas City, Missouri (USA)

– Home and studio — together or apart?
My studio has always been in my home. I love being able to mesh my home and work life together, and it was wonderful to be home while my son was growing up.

– Do you have any daily rituals?
I wake up and always make coffee. Nothing tastes better than that first cup of hot black bitter brew. Since the pandemic has made life lonely, I have realized how much companionship my dog Joey is for me. So I am trying to do one nice thing for Joey every day: take him for a walk, work on learning a new trick, throw the ball for him.

– What is the first art book you remember?
Uncommon Places by Stephen Shore. I remember wondering why some guy would take a picture of his pancake breakfast and put that photo in a book. That was the start of my enlightenment that photographs of ordinary things could be fascinating.

– What is your studio/creative soundtrack?
Classical piano music, especially Chopin, is always on my playlist. Lately I have been listening to vintage “easy listening” music like Mantovani and Percy Faith. Maybe because that’s the music my mom had playing on the stereo when I was growing up? I thought it was sappy then, but now it sounds happy and fresh.

– What is the favourite thing you have in your studio?
I have a bulletin board, and tacked up there is a drawing of a castle and the words “I LOVE YOU MOM” in my son’s young handwriting.

– Did you always want to be an artist?
In elementary school I loved the times when the art teacher visited our classroom. I remember that I said I wanted to be an art teacher when I grew up. Somehow, that faded away, and in college I veered off into science and business. After trying several careers, I found my way back to art.

– What does a free day look like?
The perfect free day would be doing ballroom dancing: a lesson, some practice, a social dance, or a dancesport competition.

books & objects