An Interview with Artist Dale Gallagher

Dale Gallagher is a landscape artist from Christchurch, New Zealand. Growing up surrounded by the natural beauty of New Zealand’s rural landscapes, he had an interest in painting from an early age.

As a child, when everyone else was out playing sport, Dale was painting. He did not aspire to be a painter thinking it ‘wasn’t a real job’ until his teachers encouraged him to pursue his passion. Completely self-taught, he started working as a full time artist at just 20 years old, with family, friends and collectors spotting his talent early on.

Dale now sells his original artworks exclusively at Central Art Gallery in Queenstown. Typically using acrylic on boxed canvas, his bright landscape paintings are hugely popular.

Central Art Gallery had a quick yarn with Dale Gallagher to find out more about him and his paintings…

What kind of artwork do you aim to create?

I like to create paintings which make you feel like you’re actually there. I want the viewer to see the magnificence and the elegance of the natural scene and capture that feeling in your heart when you’re there.

What are your artistic influences?

I love the smell of fresh canvas, the paints, the brushes and of course, the New Zealand scenery. I particularly love McKenzie country and Fiordland with its steep mountains, lush trees and plants.

I love the way the snow falls and the mist moves and hangs over the geographical features. It is this sense of depth which I try to capture in my paintings.

Tell us a bit about your creative process…

I apply several layers of gesso to a fresh canvas. This helps to bring out the colours of the painting. I do an initial, rough sketch in pencil onto the canvas to plan and lay out the scene, and then start to layer on the paints. I’ll start with the background and work towards the foreground; it’s a very slow process.

I finish with the final details and then apply a layer of varnish – this helps to protect the paint and give it a nice finish.

When coming up with a composition, I think about my ideas for a new painting for a long time. I spend a lot of time out in the rural parts of New Zealand, getting feel for and an impression of a place. I take a few photographs, but most of my compositions are not direct copies of what I see – I use my imagination and prefer to capture the feel and atmosphere of a scene rather than create copies.

What kind of art do you seek to create?

I’m always told I have a modern twist on a traditional style. I love using rich colours to create a three-dimensional look. I really want to capture the beauty of New Zealand and bring to people’s homes that feeling that you get when you’re actually there, standing in the midst of a stunning natural scene. I think people really enjoy and engage with that.

What do you do when you’re not painting?

I do spend most of my time painting, but family life is very important to me too. My new son is just 15 months old and I love to play with him. We often go on family hikes and spend time in Lake Tekapo with our two big dogs… they’re adopted, Labradors crossed with something huge, they’re about 60kg!

See the full range of Dale’s original landscape paintings in our gallery at 71 Beach Street. Central Art Gallery is one of New Zealand’s oldest privately owned Art Galleries, showcasing a wide range of art from local and international artists. 

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