Artists In Jackson: Dione Tripp

Dione Tripp doesn’t just make art. She builds it, reconstructs it, salvages it, and reimagines it. 

Growing up in a family of carpenters, inventors, and tinkerers, she was surrounded by the idea that anything could be created with the right tools and vision. Her father was into music, her mother into art, and somewhere in between, Dione found her own voice – one that blends mediums, textures, and emotions into something distinctly her own.

Dione Tripp - Artists In JacksonHer artistic journey began with singing, painting, and the idea of becoming an art teacher one day. But she quickly realized her passion was in making, not teaching.

By hanging art at the old Thunderbird Café, creating gifts, and submitting pieces for Jackson’s Cool City initiative, she steadily built her presence in the local scene. 

Over time, her work evolved beyond traditional canvases into something more layered and more experimental. For instance, when she gets her brakes changed, she keeps the parts, seeing in them a potential for reinvention.

“How far can you push an object to be a sculpture and not be too crafty?” she asks. It’s a question that continues to shape her process.

Dione pulls from her environment – barn scraps, salvaged materials, even discarded brake parts – to create works that challenge viewpoints and perspectives. 

“If you’re in a plane, you can see the world differently,” she says. “I want to express that: the dangers, the fears, the freedom.” 

Jackson, Michigan, remains central to her creative world. She studied here, works here, and thrives in our grassroots art community. 

“It’s like a blank slate, and we can create our own answers,” she says. 

With two to three projects per year, she’s constantly exploring through book illustrations, her new clothing store, or sculptural ideas. And she’s always open to branching out creatively. 

“The only thing limiting me is myself—both in terms of my art and my success,” she says.

Looking ahead, Dione continues to try to amaze herself and find collaborators and appreciators along the way.

“I want to be able to toss ideas around, learn new skills, and try things out,” she says. 

Whether it’s trading art, experimenting with new media, or diving deeper into sculpture, Dione continues on a path where every scrap, stroke, and salvaged element has the potential to become something memorable.

Buy the Artists In Jackson book  |  Artist Dione on Instagram

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