Mark Dahle Biography
Mark grew up in Southeast Alaska, where it rains 150 inches
a year. (In October, the rain travels sideways, driven by forty-knot
winds.) A resident of Ketchikan for 18 years, Mark grew up loving
to hike through forests. But he finally decided to dry out.
You may not believe it, but people from Ketchikan go to the Seattle area for sunshine, so Mark moved to Tacoma for 12 years, freelancing in writing, photography and layout design. Mark hiked or skied and snowshoed with friends on Mount Rainier every month.
When Mark moved to Chicago for four years, a career counselor told Mark he was not in touch with his emotions and suggested several things he could do, including painting. Mark didn't know if the counselor was right about the emotions part -- Mark's guess is that the counselor just didn't know how stoic cultures behave. But Mark wanted to paint; he just had never invested the time or the money in it. Mark decided to use the counselor's words as permission to do something he'd wanted to do for a long time.
Mark
started his first painting at the top of the canvas, without knowing
what he was painting. After about two weeks, a third of the way
down the canvas, he knew what it was. "Red Sky at Morning"
emerged quickly after that. It is based on a children's poem:
Red sky at morning, sailors take warning. When the painting was
done, Mark saw how good it was -- and that inspired him to keep
painting. (The painting is shown at the left.)
Since Mark started painting in 1989, he has had five one-person shows, two in Chicago, IL; and one each in Portland, OR; San Diego, CA; and Escanaba, MI. Mark owned a gallery in La Jolla, California for 2 1/2 years before moving his gallery to the web (www.MarkDahle.com).
Mark is starting to plan for his museum, and if you want to help with a gift of $10 or $20 million, he'd like to talk to you.
Mark currently lives in San Diego. He has been falling down the coast most of his life, and he hopes he has the brakes on.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Your
paintings look like my five-year-old's art.
I
don't like abstract art, but I really like your paintings.
How
do you know when you're done?
Do
you give lessons?
What
do you say in your talks about abstract art?
How
can we get you to speak to our group about abstract art?
How
did you learn to paint?
Where
did you go to school?
What
painters have influenced you?
What
artists do you like?
What
if I have a question you haven’t answered?
Your
paintings look like my five-year-old's art.
Awesome! Keep encouraging your five-year-old!
I don't like abstract art, but I really like your paintings.
This is one of the most frequent comments I hear. I'm not sure why it is. My abstracts seem to be accessible to people (and even enjoyable) even if they don't like abstract art in general.
How do you know when you're done?
It's something I can sense. The painting is complete.
I know it when it happens, but I'm not sure I can explain it.
I present talks on Understanding Abstract Art and Lessons from the Lives of Artists. People seeing my art and attending my talks have often been inspired to begin painting. But I don’t give lessons.
What
do you say in your talks about abstract art?
My talk on Understanding Abstract Art is filled with examples of contemporary paintings done by Jackson Pollock, Franz Kline, Mark Rothko and others, including myself. The overall theme of this talk can be found in a short article on this topic.
My talk on lessons from the lives of abstract artists also
includes examples of abstract art and four main points:
· you want
to keep living, even if you’re going through hard times
· you want
to do what you’re good at, even if few people seem to appreciate
it
· you may
not have your breakthrough until after years of honing your skills.
· the marketplace
often rewards people who create new things more than people who
copy.
How can we get you to come to our city to talk about abstract art?
I love to encourage people, and I'd be glad to come talk to your group about either of these topics. For me to come, all you need to do is figure out housing if I have to stay overnight, commercial transportation from San Diego, and get a commitment from me. I'm available most weekdays unless I have a prior engagement. Weekends I'm in San Diego.
How did you learn to paint? Where did
you go to school?
My mom is an artist and an art teacher. She would often bring movies about artists like Henry Moore home for us to preview before she showed them to her classes. When she was evaluating art, she would often spread all her students’ work on the living room floor, so I got to see a range of talent and got trained in making evaluative judgments. Most of my training comes from her. The fine art classes I’ve taken have been in photography and cinematography rather than painting. My one painting class was a critique class with the Dean of the Art Institute of Chicago.
What painters have influenced you?
All of them, subconsciously, but I don’t try to copy anyone.
Abstract artists I like include Jackson Pollock, Franz Kline, and Mark Rothko. Non-abstract favorites include Pablo Picasso and Van Gogh. Contemporary artists I like include Sally Anderson (fabulous sculpture in Santa Fe), Rory Wagner (Native American portraits) and John Nieto (animals in bright colors).
On a recent summer vacation I visited as many national parks, art galleries and museums in the West as I could. If I had won the lottery, here’s a few artists I’d have bought:
$30,000- $40,000
Seth Winegar (landscapes)
Sally Anderson (abstract sculptures)
$20,000 - $30,000
Rory Wagner (Native Americans)
John Nieto (animals)
Theodore Waddell (abstract horses)
Kevin Red Star (Native Americans)
Under $20,000
Donna Stickles (Cowgirls)
Stefan Bateman (landscapes)
Gregory Lomayesva (Hopi paintings)
Pascal (outstanding sculpture)
If I had an unlimited budget, I’d also consider Mike Larsen’s Native Americans, Carole La Roche’s animals, and Joe Fettings’ watercolor portraits. Other artists I’d like to see more of: Walter Piehl, Graham Flatt, Julie Oriet, Gloria Gaddis, Houshang, Raven Buffalo, Tammy Garcia, Erin Currier, Jim Pitman, Mick Shimaneh, Karen Harms and Julias Seyler.
What if I have a question you haven’t answered?
Send me an email about four weeks before you need an answer and I should be able to respond in time. If you’ve got something more urgent than that, you can ask, but I make no promises. (Actually, I make no promises even if you ask four weeks ahead of time! But your odds are better.)
Mark Dahle's paintings hang in collections
around the United States, from Florida to Alaska. You can see
some of his paintings by clicking on the links below.
Leaving Chicago Creation Two Hands Autumn Leaves Home
