Dale Dunning

Years ago I invited a friend from New York City to visit me in Canada. I told him there was nothing in Almonte and suggested instead we rally in Montreal. Our first stop upon his arrival was the Musée des Beaux Arts on Sherbrooke Street West. There we immediately encountered a sculpture by R. Tait MacKenzie who of course I told my friend was from Almonte. We later crossed the street and frequented Dominion Galleries where upon our arrival I spotted a sculpture by Dale Dunning who is also from Almonte. At the time (about 35 years ago) Dale’s notoriety didn’t approach that of R. Tait MacKenzie but today it does. Oddly enough Dale has somewhat the same air of sophistication which MacKenzie had. I once owned a unique piece made by Dale but I sold it along with tons of other stuff we let go when I retired and we down-sized to an apartment. What I like about Dale’s work is that it is substantial. There is nothing wispy about his work. Even the smallest pieces are heavy.