For Artist Sid Dickens, there is majic in the past. "People like to feel they are an integral part of the story of humanity, and my tiles have the weight and feel of another era, a time when things were more permanent and long lasting.  I think it's this aspect of the tiles that makes people want to reach out. in esscense, they want to touch history."

 

Dickens brings these relics of the past to new lifein his deorative tiles, Memory Blocks, which have received international acclaim, and now decorative hotels, restaraunts, and  private homes from New York to Tokyo.

 

Born in 1963, in Prince Rupert, British Columbia, Dickens always knew he would be an artist.  After studying at Emily Carr School of Art in Vancouver, he rented his own studio and experimented with collage and oil paint.  He quickly developed a recognizable style that began to generate public interest and excitement. 

 

In 1987, after an inspirational trip to Europe, Dickens moved to a remote waterfront studio where he experimented with unusual materials: whale bones, leaves, metal and wire. Continuing to expand his creative repertoire, Dickens headed to the institute De Allende in San Miguel, Mexico, to study bronze casting. Returning to Vancouver in 1991, he finally discovered his perfect medium-plaster.  Immediately, he created what would be the first prototypes in a series of decorative tiles.  "Originally, I created large panels with many elements.  The smaller tile format allows me to take my fine art and take it apart, focusing on one or two ideas.  People can take the elements they like and mix and match tiles on their walls to create their own personal style." says Dickens.