About Dale Woodfin

BIO

Born in South Pittsburg, Tennessee, where the Tennessee River whispers its secrets to the foothills of the South Cumberland mountains, Dale Woodfin found his muse not in classrooms, but in the free symphony of nature. This self-taught artist, graphic designer, poet, and musician grew up surrounded by the raw beauty of a rural landscape, dotted with historic scars and garage born experimental music in a community absent the curated galleries and night clubs. Instead, alternative music and would-be urban decay and the untamed processes of nature became his teachers.

While Dale continues to work most often as a freelance graphic designer he also pours his creative emotions and ideas onto canvas, a vibrant dance of acrylics and mixed media. torn fragments of his digital works mingle with acrylic paint, mirroring the fractural and sometimes twisted impressions of the contemporary world. He finds poetry in the overlooked: a swirling cityscape, a character on a park bench lost in thought, each piece is a layered conversation, a kaleidoscope of thoughts and fractals, where bright hues pop against the depths of shadows and outlines. Dale Woodfin’s art isn’t just something you see, it’s something you feel and question, a vibrant echo of a life lived in the less familiar spaces between.

STATEMENT

Life, it seems, has a way of presenting its lessons in unexpected places. For me, those lessons were from life experiences other than the workplace or sales pitches. They were in the forgotten sketchbooks hidden away in dust covered boxes from my youth, filled with unusual creatures and scribbled musings that dared to be different.

For over three decades, I busied myself with “Adulting” – the friendly face for faceless corporations. While my work required creative thinking, it only served to stifle the artist within. So, I made a change.
At the age of 50, the nest emptied, and a rebellion of sorts began. I returned to the quiet embrace of South Pittsburg, Tennessee – a homecoming that felt like a fresh breath of non-conformity.

In my new mindset it smelled like the freedom of my youth. Here, I get to be unabashedly different, to wield my paintbrush like a flag for those who yearn to see beyond the vanilla. I like to think my art isn’t about placating or sugarcoating. It’s a jolt to the system, a splash of color on the canvas of convention. While all my work doesn’t push buttons of sensitivity, if I can shock someone or at least cause someone to stop and stare, maybe think a little, that’s when I’m at my best and I believe that’s when the viewer is at their best… feeling something especially if it’s different from everyone else standing there with them.