Day 10 of 12 Days of Giving: Randy Nicholson & Judi Dahlquist
December 10, 2015 16:00
Day 10 of 12 Days of Giving means not one artist feature, but two! Today we’re featuring Randy Nicholson & Judi Dahlquist. Both are abstract-expressionist artists living with bipolar disorder.
Boston local Randy Nicholson started creating art as a way to express himself. The day Randy joined ArtLifting, he shared, “Your interest in my work makes me feel validated. Not just validated as an artist. Validated as a person.” He enjoys being able to share his life in a visual way and is constantly exploring new techniques and expanding expressive possibilities.
The creative process allows Randy to heal. He’s hit quite a few milestones such as being the first artist to be featured on an ArtLifting iPhone case. Randy loves the idea of having his painting be part of others’ everyday life. Imagining his work traveling with people each day makes him feel “like his art has meaning.”
Randy’s “Mixed Feelings” was the first to be sold as an iPhone case
Judi Dahlquist defines herself as an “expressive artist.” A trained dancer and actress, Judi combines all of her talents when creating her paintings: she chooses a song based on the mood or emotion that she wants to express and describes, and then paints. “I hope people feel that that my paintings are full of life, emotion and energy, because that is what I put into creating each one!”
Judi developed bipolar manic symptoms when she was 22, which put an end to her career. After many years in and out hospitals, she always found comfort in art workshops. Judi currently works with a community support team at Thresholds of Chicago and finally feels as if she’s achieved her true definition of success.
The Shakira Tote by Judi Dahlquist
Judi’s painting allow her to express her emotions in a way that’s comfortable to her:
“It’s like I was trapped inside a box my whole life and now I can express myself big and loud through my paintings and feel that people value what I create. I feel overjoyed when my paintings go to a good home where people love and appreciate them. It's like I get to share the best parts of myself with the world.”
Bipolar disorder is a neurological one that affects 2.6% of the adult American population with over 50% of individuals left untreated. Artists living with bipolar disorder are known to challenge the status quo while exploring the depths of their self expression.