Dale Slingland is native born Reno artist who has faced challenges throughout his life. He was diagnosed with cerebral palsy before he was even one year old. Growing up, he realized he wanted to find a way to be independent in a judgement free setting where he could focus on his own things.
“I enjoy having the ability to communicate and connect to people and the greater world through a visual language that will last far into the future,” Dale said of how he got into oil paintings during a recent interview with Our Town Reno.
Dale’s dream project is to work on a mural in the city of Seattle, Washington, where his brother lives. He’s also being featured in an upcoming art show called the Devil Made Me Do It which is happening at Pitch Black Printing Co. on October 29 at 6 p.m. Soon Dale will also be on the board of the Sierra Arts Foundation.
He’s also passed on his creative genes to his eleven year old son Wyatt. Wyatt sketched out a design for a mural creation contest at a local Coral Academy school and won. So Wyatt’s idea will come to life within the school's walls.
“The theme for his mural is kindness. He chose a heart and the words equality that arches across it. Along with colorful shapes and delicious treats to share is the way he chose to depict the theme,” Dale said.
Dale says he is inspired in his own work by nature and places like Lake Tahoe and Lake Pyramid. With his artwork Dale likes to challenge himself. He once received a critique on a piece he created involving a painting of hands. After the critique he decided to create a whole series based on hands to not only challenge himself but to also improve his skills. He wants his art to be unique and wants to be both mentally and physically involved in the process.
Dale thinks the Reno art community has a solid foundation but believes there is always room for improvement. Dale appreciates Reno’s new emerging art scene, believing that the major event Burning Man, that happens every summer in Black Rock Desert, contributes to the local art scene. He believes the event brings its influences to the city and gives artists more creative opportunities. Dale himself has been to Burning Man three times in the past and got inspired to create fun costumes for the event. His father was also a costume photographer at Burning Man as well.
“I love being a part of Reno's art community. It has given me many opportunities to show my art and a chance to have my artistic voice heard and valued. I hope the community will continue to grow more vibrant and even more diverse in every way,” Dale said.
Dale’s advice to upcoming artists is to keep going, to be reliable and to develop a large body of work.
“Having a lot of work is advantageous in three ways, the first is that it gives you a good knowledge base on your chosen medium. The second is that creating lots of work helps you find your artistic voice and gives you freedom to find the genre of art you like. The third is that you will be ready for a variety of opportunities and art shows. Reliability is equal to or even more important than the quality of your work. Having your art framed and ready to hang by a deadline of the event will open up more opportunities, just because you showed up on time,” Dale said as we concluded our interview.