DALE MANN

Dale Mann, born in 1959, is a self-taught artist who seems to understand art, both his own and that of other artists, in an unusually deep and intuitive way. He has continued to plough on along his own furrow inspite of (or perhaps because of) the lack of rewarding recognition. The category of work apparently nearest to his own is 'Outsider Art' , but he does not qualify. His work needs to be seen and experienced, not categorised.

The works evoke different responses, or each one a series of responses, some of which are uncomfortable. They are quite often shocking, very often funny, sometimes difficult to understand on a literal level and other times completely incomprehensible except that the visual appeal connects viscerally and makes you want to keep trying. For all their other qualities, they are intended to be beautiful.

'I have a particular fondness for small works. I never try to think up ideas or look for inspiration. It is more like turning on a tap and it all pours out of me. Something about small scale work that I can hold in my hand makes this process very free and great ideas just arrive. Sometimes the smallest thing in a work can be the most important'.

'The small scale works fuel the larger paintings which I approach knowing exactly the feeling I want to express. The surface of the painting is hugely important to me and is most of the meaning of the painting. A completed work is not made but emerges through a process of action and struggle and in this way narrative and form are created simultaneously'.

Search more exhibitions by - Dale Mann