Featured Artist Doug Dale

Artist Doug Dale presents a collection of humorous and visually striking collages inspired by the sport of bicycling and the pace of life. Enjoy his portfolio and visit his website to see more.

 

 

A beautiful morning in the bucolic hamlets east of the Hudson river in Upstate New York. An annual bicycling event—a race—popular and known for a course made difficult by its many unpaved segments. A field of veteran competitors ride through a covered bridge iconic to the race and onto one of the dirt sections. A crash and a pile of riders. One remains motionless. A figure in long gray robes and hooded face, holding a scythe, indifferently looks on. The whir of chopper blades and the beginning of a new life segment—mine.

 

 

That near-death moment became the genesis for the implementation of my creative production in the last eight years. It is what I facetiously call my 43rd career (a gross overstatement) but it might fall sixth or seventh in the list, none of which had anything remotely related to creating visual art.

 

 

Despite my ever-expanding diversity of subject matter, the sport of cycling remains the fountainhead from which I proceed.

 

 

It is not the bicycle itself—the machine—that provides the subject matter and the images represented in my collages. Many times, bicycles only appear to give context to the work.

 

 

It is the act of actually riding a bike that is the creative catalyst. Not needing to support one’s weight as runners and hikers do reduces the physical effort of propelling one’s body forward. The result allows one to focus on the wide panorama along with small details of physical surroundings. It also allows for immersion into creative contemplation as the rhythm of the ride becomes automatic.

 

 

So, as a result, I ride, think and initiate the creative process that you see here.

 

 

The idea for the Going Home series, a collage that can be viewed as a series or as individual works, began during an autumn bike ride as I let my mind wander back to my youth and the various circumstances leading me to racing a bike. I thought of how shared interest of this sort between father and son could sustain a relationship throughout the span of a lifetime. Finishing my ride without changing or showering, I sketched what became this work in three parts.

 

 

Once again using cycling as a central theme, Photobomb uses as many as six different layers of paper to create various hues, patterns, and textures. One paper used is the colored gift wrap tissue applied with coats of clear acrylic medium that act as glue and create a translucency to the paper. Note the diminishing size of the cyclists as they are located further away from the cow. However, the sun glass sizes remain the same on each cyclist. Other papers employed include both scrapbook and handcrafted paper.

 

 

The Cut is a total and recent departure in subject matter. This piece is reflective of my increasing interest in beach themes and palettes using the same materials as Photobomb.

 

 

Irony, humor and a very human set of narratives are the goals of these and all of my efforts.

 

Artist Doug Dale invites you to follow him on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

 

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