Mark Dahle Biography

I grew up in Southeast Alaska, where it rains 150 inches a year. I lived in Ketchikan for 18 years, and I love hiking through forests. But I finally decided to dry out.

You may not believe it, but people from Ketchikan go to the Seattle area for sunshine, so I moved to Tacoma for 12 years. Eventually I went to Chicago to go back to school. There a career counselor told me I was not in touch with my emotions and suggested about five things I could do, including painting. I didn't know if the counselor was right about the emotions part -- my guess is that she just didn't know how stoic cultures behave. But I decided to use her words as permission to do something I'd wanted to do for a long time.

I started my first painting at the top of the canvas, without knowing what I was painting. After about two weeks, a third of the way down the canvas, I knew what I was painting. "Red Sky at Morning" emerged quickly after that. It is based on a children's poem that says, "Red sky at morning, sailors take warning." When the painting was done, I liked it, and that inspired me to keep painting.

Since I started painting in 1989, I have had five one-person shows, two in Chicago, IL; and one each in Portland, OR; San Diego, CA; and Escanaba, MI. I owned a gallery in La Jolla, California for 2 1/2 years before moving my gallery to the web (www.MarkDahle.com).

I am planning for a museum, and if you want to help with a gift of $10 million or so, I'd like to talk to you.

I currently live in San Diego. I've been falling down the coast most of my life, and I hope I have 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?
    How did you learn to paint?
    Where did you go to school?
    What painters have influenced you?
    What artists do you like?

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 enjoyed by people even if they don't usually care for abstract art.

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.

Do you give lessons?

People seeing my art have often been inspired to begin painting. But I don’t give lessons.

How did you learn to paint? Where did you go to school?

My mom is an artist and an art teacher. She would often preview movies about artists like Henry Moore with us before she showed them to her classes. When she was evaluating art, she would 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. I visit museums and galleries whenever I can.

What artists do you like?

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. The prices reflect what the paintings were selling for at the time I saw them:

$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)
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.

Copyright © 2006 Mark Dahle