Sidney Michael Dickens was born in Prince Rupert, on the rugged West Coast of British Columbia. Until the age of 28 he worked as a commercial fisherman and dedicated his spare time to drawing and painting. In 1987, after an inspirational trip to Europe he relocated his Vancouver studio to a waterfront location on the Queen Charlotte Islands where he began this sculpural series.
Memory Blocks are hand crafted plaster, finished to a porcelain-like quality, cracked to create an aged look and feel. Each Memory Blocks is hand poured hydrostone plaster, all tiles are hand painted (the Iron Series requires 3 coats), silver and gold leafing is done by hand, and finally the Memory Blocks are hand stained. We consider each Memory Block a piece of art, there are over 5 people that do work on each one of them. There are many copies on the market, which have the look of being mass produced, as most of them are. The hours of work that go into creating each Memory Block make them each an individual collectible treasure.