Dale Matthews:
From Then Till Now
MAY 22, 2021 TO JUNE 19, 2021
Main Gallery
ABOUT
I have always considered and understood art history to be a visual diary of our collective social history, as each artist and the work they produce has a direct correlation to the environment in which they lived, those they associated with, and their world view. It is also interesting, and not surprising, the impact a single teacher well-placed in your development can have on the course of your life and the lives of so many liked minded individuals.
Growing up in the small town of Rossland, it is incredible to think that within a few years of each other the town would produce an incredible number of artists and arts professionals including Dale Matthews, Alf Crossley, Wayne Eastcott, John Stark, and even our own Gail Cornish. Interestingly, the dynamic our society has set up between the arts and sport, one which was beautifully illustrated through a visit to Rossland's Wikipedia page. Under the heading of notable people, ten individuals are listed: eight are athletes, one is the former Canadian Prime Minister John Turner, and the only artist is actor John Stark. I would be willing to wager that the legacies of the unnamed artists have a greater potential to continue to impact and inspire countless generations well into the future.
With that in mind, it is always a pleasure to be afforded the privilege to explore the totality of an artist’s career. Within each work one can find the double helix which makes up the duality of Dale's personal and professional practice. While this exhibition is not quite a retrospective, it does serve as a pictorial essay providing the roadmap to the work of an artist whose legacy has inadvertently intersected with the lives of generations of British Columbians.
The story begins with a young student at the Vancouver School of Art in the late 1950s and follows his career as a sign painter, a designer of architectural interiors for retail stores, shopping malls, cruise ships, and our own fleet of BC Ferries, culminating with the paintings he is best known for today. If you have ever lived or spent any time in the lower mainland over the past 60 years, you have most likely been impacted in some regard by Dale's commercial work. More recently if you have attended any group exhibitions here in the Okanagan over the years, you have most certainly communed with his paintings.
This exhibition hopes to highlight the breadth of the journey travelled, illustrating the totality of a lifetime’s pursuit and commitment to a singular passion for self expression and creativity. I would like to thank Dale for his trust and willingness to share his story. I hope you enjoy discovering the arc of his career as much as I have. Dale Matthews lives and works out of his studio overlooking Trout Creek.
Paul Crawford, Curator
FEATURED ARTIST
DALE MATTHEWS
EXHIBITION TOUR
ARTIST BIOGRAPHY
I was born and raised in Rossland B.C. where I attended school and began to show an interest in drawing and painting about the age of 11 years old. I remember we were asked to paint a picture of a potted geranium that sat on the teachers desk. A number of paintings were selected and displayed on the classroom wall, mine being one of them. This encouraged me to try oil painting and drawing. I was a poor student in all other subjects other than science, history and art, always doodling in the margins of my notebooks.
My art teacher in grade twelve really pushed me, She suggested I go to art school which was out of the question as my parents would not pay to send me. I would go to work in the local smelter like many others. However Miss Wilson persisted and had me prepare a folio of my work to send to the Vancouver School of Art (now Emily Carr University). I was accepted and received a scholarship to help with tuition. The art school was a four year fine arts program. By third year I knew I would not survive as an artist so I took design in fourth year and graduated in 1960. I found a job in the sign industry as a designer and spent the next six years working for various firms in Vancouver, Toronto and Edmonton. While in Edmonton, I was offered a fantastic job with an architectural firm in Vancouver, allowing us to move back to the coast. My first assignment with the firm was to design storefronts and mall decor for the Guildford Center in Surrey and various related projects there after. When the firm decided to keep the construction side of the of the business and drop the architectural side, I was out of work. I then teamed up with a couple of young designers and formed a company that designed commercial interiors and offices.
Eventually my wife Phyllis and I started Dale Matthews and Associates expanding the business to include projects such as store planning, cruise ship interiors, B.C. Ferries and other ferry systems in the U.S. And Ontario. Our business designed the interior layouts, material specifications and supervising the installations. We continued for twenty four years until retirement, when we moved to the sunny Okanagan.
Retirement has given me the time to travel and paint, Watercolour is my favorite medium and it is easy to transport and set up, allowing me to paint where ever I travel. The subject matter of my work leans toward the fading western life style, revisiting the old ways and older architecture. The colours of the Okanagan and Boundary country, with the dry yellow grass of rolling hills and contrasting forest green background have been a continuous inspiration. I'm also drawn to the textures of the faded wood of old barns and rusted metal of old cars. I will continue to paint as long as the shakes do not knock the brush out of my hand and the primary colours remain the same.
My work is in a number of private collections in the U.S. and Canada. I have also exhibited in galleries locally, and in Calgary, Vancouver, and the Kootenays.