Who is Dale Mathis

The whirring of gears and pistons, the whimsy of fantasy, and the grit of the street kid made good, all combine into the art of Dale Mathis. A giant of a man with the heart of a poet, the mind of a master watchmaker, and the imagination of a great surrealist.

Dale Mathis’ mixed media, high relief sculptures and design objects defy the typical classifications of any art. The fantasy designs of H. G. Wells and Jules Verne coupled with an artist that any generation would be proud to call its own.

Dale Mathis’ sculptures and design objects are commanding, not just artistically, but physically. A “typical” Mathis work is mechanical, with moving gears, back- lighted, highly sculpted, often near 5' long by 4' wide and weighing at 80 lbs or more. Art imitates life, or in this case the 6’3”, 300 lb artist who creates them. Bigger is better in the world of Dale Mathis.

His creations also speak from the heart of the discordant struggle of urban American life. Born Dale Charles Mathis in 1972, and raised in Inglewood, California. His was a childhood surrounded by gangs and crime. His family and art from the earliest ages shielded him and drew him to the path less traveled. Growing up in Inglewood, he always had a desire to be like MacGyver, taking things apart and not trying to put them back together but finding creative new uses for the parts.

Deeply inspired by artists Salvador Dali and Edmonia Lewis, Art was his escape into another reality he could create for himself. He is a truly self taught artist.

Shortly after his 19th birthday he moved to Las Vegas, Nevada where he worked a variety of odd jobs as a construction worker and strip club bouncer. Finding commissions as word of this exceptional artist grew throughout the Las Vegas community, the sparks and pangs of invention, creativity, and brilliance coming from a need to survive for he and his young daughter.

Seeking to break with the intensity of urban life and find solace and focus - Dale has established a new life as an artist working half of the year from his studio in the Philippine Islands. Where the idyllic environment, people, culture and love of art have embraced him as he has them.

Dale is featured in galleries throughout the United States. His work has seen on MTV’s Cribs and The Real World Las Vegas, HGTV’s Crafters Coast to Coast, and features have been written in Playboy Magazine, the Las Vegas Review Journal, and international watch Magazines in Europe and Latin America.