Young woman with long brown hair, wearing a white tank top, plaid skirt, black knee-high socks, and black boots, sitting on the floor with her legs crossed, smiling at the camera in front of colorful artwork of people with expressive faces, some holding bicycles, and others with exaggerated facial expressions.
Young woman with long brown hair, wearing a white tank top, plaid skirt, black knee-high socks, and black boots, sitting on the floor with her legs crossed, smiling at the camera in front of colorful artwork of people with expressive faces, some holding bicycles, and others with exaggerated facial expressions.

Contemporary portraits & figurative paintings.

Abby Dickinson, She/Her - Calgary, Alberta.
BFA, Nova Scotia College of Art and Design University
Halifax, NS

I’m captivated by the diversity and intricacies of human expression. My work aims to capture not only physical likeness, but something of each subject’s personality and presence. I’m drawn to animated expressions, bold gestures, awkward moments and bodies in motion.

I’m interested in painting a feeling more than simply documenting a person, looking for expressions and gestures that suggest a story beyond the canvas.

My hope is that even if you’ve never met the person in the painting, you’ll recognize something familiar in them.

Faces emerge through humour, vulnerability and movement.

Expressions reveal how we exist in the brief spaces between composed moments. Together, the works speak to one another, forming a quiet but lively visual conversation about presence, emotion and being human.

Energy, spontaneity and bodies in motion.

My figurative work is about movement, gesture and bodies in action. The subjects often reflect activities I’m drawn to in my own life.

Portfolio & Available Work
Portfolio & Available Work

Custom Oil Portrait Commissions

Commission a hand-painted portrait from a favourite photograph. I’m Abby Dickinson, a Calgary portrait artist who paints people as they feel: expressive, candid and full of personality. Portrait commissions start at $450, with free delivery in Calgary. Small portraits can be shipped within Canada, with shipping costs arranged based on destination.

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