Dorella K Van Dyke

It is said that an artist is someone who has a passion for creativity; whose work contributes to the beauty and diversity of our world; who is unafraid of failure; is adventurous and willing to step out of their comfort zone to create something that will transform their world; whose work speaks to others; who communicates through their art by translating what they see using their unique visual language; has deep appreciation for the talents of others and shares their time and resources with other artists; and—perhaps most importantly—who avoids over-explaining.

Dee was all of those things and more: a loving wife and supportive partner for 45 years to Jerry Zivan; mother to Benjamin Zivan; second mom to David Zivan and Jeff Zivan (Ann Carmen); grandmother to Sam and Jack; an especially loving aunt to her niece, Tish Thompson; and a true friend to many. She is also survived by her sister Phyllis Van Dyke Thompson (Tom), nephew Mark Thompson (Andrea), her aunt Bonnie Van Dyke and many Van Dyke first cousins.

Dee did not mince words when words were called for, but her preferred form of communication was through her art: painting, drawing, sculpture, and for the past several years through “The Contextual Table”-a communal dining experience that ‘brings art to dinner’ and people closer together.

Born in Atlanta in1952, her childhood years were spent in Tazewell, VA, home of her father Ralph’s Van Dyke family, punctuated by summers and then her teenage years in Atlanta, home of her mother Dorothy’s Templeman family. Dee graduated from Westminster School in Atlanta and University of Georgia (B.A. in Fine Arts), followed by post-graduate work in NYC. She worked as a photographer’s stylist and gallery attendant in Atlanta during the day and painted at night. After spending a year living and studying in Aix-En-Provence, she returned to Atlanta in 1979 to devote herself full-time to her art and later on also worked with the art-therapy staff at Scottish Rite Children’s Hospital (now part of Children’s Hospital of Atlanta) and taught at what was then the Atlanta College of Art (now part of SCAD).

Dee moved with her family to Bluewater Bay in Northwest Florida in 1991; then spent a year with Jerry and Benjamin in Bozeman, MT in 1992-93, returning to Bluewater Bay, where she has lived for the past 32 years, and a full-time focus on her art.

She was the recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship and had her art exhibited in solo and group shows in New York City, Miami, Atlanta and Seaside FL and at several venues in Germany and elsewhere. Her work is in many individual and corporate collections.

Dee lived a full life; she left nothing undone; and she will be remembered for the beauty she brought into the world with her vision, with her art, with her tables, with her UGA dance steps, and for her faith in a better tomorrow.

A graveside service was held for Dee in Atlanta’s Greenwood Cemetery on September 30. In lieu of flowers, contributions in Dee's memory may be made to either Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, www.choa.org; Alaqua Pet Refuge, Freeport, FL, www.alaqua.org; or by purchasing a work of art to support a local artist of your choosing.