Dale Perkins' watercolors on display Dale

Perkins' watercolors on display
(San Mateo County Times - December 23, 2004)
Watercolor Artist Dale Perkins was born and raised in the Bay Area, and he finds infinite inspiration in the views and life around San Francisco Bay. His large watercolors will be featured at the County Government Center Gallery in an exhibit opening Jan. 3.
I am determined to paint San francisco as no one has ever done," Perkins says. "I look for shapes and colors and those special details that catch the eye," with a goal to "create the excitement that I feel when I first view a scene."
Perkins uses clear, bright colors in his work. "I want the end result to look like a watercolor, not a photograph or an oil painting," he says. "I always try to include those unique watercolor qualities which have move and inspired me through the years."
He experienced the San Francisco that the late Herb Caen immortalized in his columns. Perkins remembers the days before the bridges were in play, when ferry boats plied the waters. While fishing at the Municipal Pier, he saw the last breakout attempt from Alcatraz, when light were flashing and sirens wailing from the island prison.
As a student, Perkins ran elevators at Union Square hotels and collected autographs from stars playing the Golden Gate Theater. He played high school ball at Kezar Stadium, sold newspapers in the Tenderloin and celebrated BJ Day on Market Street. He and his wife got married on Treasure Island.
At 12, Perkins began studies at the California School of Fine Arts and a year later was tutored by nationally syndicated cartoonist Tack Knight. He graduated from San Francisco State College and the San Francisco Academy of Art.
Throughout his studies he painted posters "for anyone and everyone who ran for anything" In the Army he was a post artist, painting training posters for infantrymen. He also taught art, his students ranging from prescho9olers to postgraduates.
A Burlingame resident, Perkins is a member of the Advisory Board of the Burlingame Library Foundation.
The county Government Center exhibit will feature selected works for Perkins' San Francisco Watercolor Series which represented San Francisco in a recent Sister City showing in Assisi, Italy, plus some new wine country watercolors, florals and paintings from a San Diego series.
Sponsored by ARTshare, the exhibit continues through Feb. 28. The community Government Center Gallery is at 400 County Center, Redwood City. Hours are 9:00 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays. For more information, call ARTshare at (650) 591 2101 or curator DeWitt Cheng at (415) 752 2143.

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