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Selected Works

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Altered Memory  14.25" x 11.5"  Watercolor And Silverpoint

Altered Memory

14.25" x 11.5"

Watercolor And Silverpoint

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Collaboration  21.5" x 24.5"  Encaustic

Collaboration

21.5" x 24.5"

Encaustic

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Coming Forward  24" x 36"  Encaustic

Coming Forward

24" x 36"

Encaustic

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Disappearing Haze  42" x 36"  Encaustic

Disappearing Haze

42" x 36"

Encaustic

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Echo  40" x 48"  Encaustic

Echo

40" x 48"

Encaustic

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Echo On The Danube  37.5" x 45.5"  Encaustic

Echo On The Danube

37.5" x 45.5"

Encaustic

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Edge Of Evening  32" x 40"  Encaustic

Edge Of Evening

32" x 40"

Encaustic

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Elegant Appendages  14" x 10.5"   Silverpoint

Elegant Appendages

14" x 10.5" 

Silverpoint

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Flotsam  16.5" x 14.5"  Encaustic

Flotsam

16.5" x 14.5"

Encaustic

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Garden Study Of Hops  29.5" x 22"  Graphite

Garden Study Of Hops

29.5" x 22"

Graphite

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Give Me Shelter  40" x 48"  Encaustic

Give Me Shelter

40" x 48"

Encaustic

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Grisaille Garden  19.5" x 14.5"  Gouache

Grisaille Garden

19.5" x 14.5"

Gouache

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It's What I Do  27.5" x 28.25"  Encaustic

It's What I Do

27.5" x 28.25"

Encaustic 

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January Sunrise  23" x 23"  Encaustic

January Sunrise

23" x 23"

Encaustic

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Kelly Night  12.5" x 8.5"  Encaustic

Kelly Night

12.5" x 8.5"

Encaustic

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Leaves Of Gold  20" x 16"  Gouache

Leaves Of Gold

20" x 16"

Gouache

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Leaving Soon  32" x 48"  Encaustic

Leaving Soon (SOLD)

32" x 48"

Encaustic

 

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Lemon  5.75" x 4.5"  Silverpoint With Wash

Lemon (SOLD)

5.75" x 4.5"

Silverpoint With Wash

 

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Moroccan Blues  42" x 36"  Encaustic

Moroccan Blues

42" x 36"

Encaustic

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On Red Orange  24" x 24"  Encaustic

On Red Orange

24" x 24"

Encaustic

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Prague (Message To The Proletariat)  48" x 60"  Encaustic

Prague (Message To The Proletariat)

48" x 60"

Encaustic 

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Reflecting East Falls  32" x 40"  Encaustic

Reflecting East Falls (SOLD)

32" x 40"

Encaustic

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Remains Of A Wave  7.5" x 7.5"  Encaustic

Remains Of A Wave

7.5" x 7.5"

Encaustic

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Rough Trio  12" x 14"  Encaustic

Rough Trio

12" x 14"

Encaustic

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Shelf Life #3  32" x 32"  Silver, Gold, And Copper Points On Casein With Ink Wash

Shelf Life #3

32" x 32"

Silver, Gold, And Copper Points On Casein With Ink Wash

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Some Tools  20" x 32"  Silverpoint

Some Tools

20" x 32"

Silverpoint 

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Spring Mist  48" x 48"  Encaustic

Spring Mist

48" x 48"

Encaustic

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Subtle Still Life  6" x 6"  Silverpoint With Wash

Subtle Still Life

6" x 6"

Silverpoint With Wash

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Teal Still Life, Shifting View  48" x 40"  Encaustic

Teal Still Life, Shifting View

48" x 40"

Encaustic

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Tree Of St. Sebastian  36" x 33"  Silverpoint

Tree Of St. Sebastian

36" x 33"

Silverpoint

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Urban Spring, 29.5" x 29.5", Encaustic

Urban Spring (SOLD)

29.5" x 29.5" 

Encaustic

 

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What The Light Touches  32" x 32"  Encaustic

What The Light Touches

32" x 32"

Encaustic

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Within The Cabinet  23" x 23"  Encaustic

Within The Cabinet

23" x 23"

Encaustic

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Onions Dark And Light (Morocco)  16" x 28"  Encaustic

Onions Dark And Light (Morocco) (SOLD)

16" x 28"

Encaustic

Inquire
Altered Memory  14.25" x 11.5"  Watercolor And Silverpoint

Altered Memory

14.25" x 11.5"

Watercolor And Silverpoint

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Collaboration  21.5" x 24.5"  Encaustic

Collaboration

21.5" x 24.5"

Encaustic

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Coming Forward  24" x 36"  Encaustic

Coming Forward

24" x 36"

Encaustic

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Disappearing Haze  42" x 36"  Encaustic

Disappearing Haze

42" x 36"

Encaustic

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Echo  40" x 48"  Encaustic

Echo

40" x 48"

Encaustic

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Echo On The Danube  37.5" x 45.5"  Encaustic

Echo On The Danube

37.5" x 45.5"

Encaustic

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Edge Of Evening  32" x 40"  Encaustic

Edge Of Evening

32" x 40"

Encaustic

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Elegant Appendages  14" x 10.5"   Silverpoint

Elegant Appendages

14" x 10.5" 

Silverpoint

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Flotsam  16.5" x 14.5"  Encaustic

Flotsam

16.5" x 14.5"

Encaustic

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Garden Study Of Hops  29.5" x 22"  Graphite

Garden Study Of Hops

29.5" x 22"

Graphite

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Give Me Shelter  40" x 48"  Encaustic

Give Me Shelter

40" x 48"

Encaustic

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Grisaille Garden  19.5" x 14.5"  Gouache

Grisaille Garden

19.5" x 14.5"

Gouache

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It's What I Do  27.5" x 28.25"  Encaustic

It's What I Do

27.5" x 28.25"

Encaustic 

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January Sunrise  23" x 23"  Encaustic

January Sunrise

23" x 23"

Encaustic

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Kelly Night  12.5" x 8.5"  Encaustic

Kelly Night

12.5" x 8.5"

Encaustic

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Leaves Of Gold  20" x 16"  Gouache

Leaves Of Gold

20" x 16"

Gouache

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Leaving Soon  32" x 48"  Encaustic

Leaving Soon (SOLD)

32" x 48"

Encaustic

 

Lemon  5.75" x 4.5"  Silverpoint With Wash

Lemon (SOLD)

5.75" x 4.5"

Silverpoint With Wash

 

Moroccan Blues  42" x 36"  Encaustic

Moroccan Blues

42" x 36"

Encaustic

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On Red Orange  24" x 24"  Encaustic

On Red Orange

24" x 24"

Encaustic

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Prague (Message To The Proletariat)  48" x 60"  Encaustic

Prague (Message To The Proletariat)

48" x 60"

Encaustic 

Shop

Reflecting East Falls  32" x 40"  Encaustic

Reflecting East Falls (SOLD)

32" x 40"

Encaustic

Remains Of A Wave  7.5" x 7.5"  Encaustic

Remains Of A Wave

7.5" x 7.5"

Encaustic

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Rough Trio  12" x 14"  Encaustic

Rough Trio

12" x 14"

Encaustic

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Shelf Life #3  32" x 32"  Silver, Gold, And Copper Points On Casein With Ink Wash

Shelf Life #3

32" x 32"

Silver, Gold, And Copper Points On Casein With Ink Wash

Shop

Some Tools  20" x 32"  Silverpoint

Some Tools

20" x 32"

Silverpoint 

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Spring Mist  48" x 48"  Encaustic

Spring Mist

48" x 48"

Encaustic

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Subtle Still Life  6" x 6"  Silverpoint With Wash

Subtle Still Life

6" x 6"

Silverpoint With Wash

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Teal Still Life, Shifting View  48" x 40"  Encaustic

Teal Still Life, Shifting View

48" x 40"

Encaustic

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Tree Of St. Sebastian  36" x 33"  Silverpoint

Tree Of St. Sebastian

36" x 33"

Silverpoint

Shop

Urban Spring, 29.5" x 29.5", Encaustic

Urban Spring (SOLD)

29.5" x 29.5" 

Encaustic

 

What The Light Touches  32" x 32"  Encaustic

What The Light Touches

32" x 32"

Encaustic

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Within The Cabinet  23" x 23"  Encaustic

Within The Cabinet

23" x 23"

Encaustic

Shop

Onions Dark And Light (Morocco)  16" x 28"  Encaustic

Onions Dark And Light (Morocco) (SOLD)

16" x 28"

Encaustic

"Painting and drawing for me has been a lifelong dialogue with the visible world. At its core, my work is an editing process referencing that which has been created. My hope is to reveal something about a subject that a casual observer might overlook, something perhaps beautiful or even poignant. In our quest for meaning the opportunity to add something of value is a rewarding possibility that makes drawing and painting an exciting endeavor."

- Dale O. Roberts

Dale O. Roberts - Artists - Gross McCleaf Gallery

Over Shadowed, 32" x 31", Encaustic 

True, classic encaustic, the procedure dating from Roman times, is the vehicle I currently use to carry out my investigations in paint. The work is done on a glue prepared gesso panel, using paints consisting of beeswax, damar crystals, and dry pigments. Paint is applied hot and manipulated in any variety of methods. The final image is subjected to a heat treatment of the entire surface, known as “burning-in”. This final process, essential to the true ancient method, causes the layers to fuse into a stable, inert paint film. Finished artwork needs no special care but can be polished periodically to remove dust and bring up a luster.

 

Over the past nearly forty years, I have experimented with various paint formulations and methods of application. The thermoplastic nature of the paint, and translucence of the medium are two of the rare, intrinsic qualities which I find fascinating. Given the variables of pigment composition, they will often exhibit spontaneous effects, unattainable with any other medium. The paint has a very physical nature, capable of an exciting range of qualities and possibilities. The practice of encaustic has become an extension of my own vision, to the point where technique and aesthetic have fused like the paintings themselves.

Dale O. Roberts - Artists - Gross McCleaf Gallery

Morrocan Blues, 42" x 36", Encaustic 

The materials and method of true encaustic require studio preparation, making studies, notes and drawings a necessity. The remote nature of the process, subject to its own challenges, allows for internal changes and reactions to the observable world. Working from studies as opposed to painting directly from life has made me something of an “Indirect” painter, however that limitation has cultivated an ability to look past the obvious, allowing a kind of distillation to occur.

 

In preparation for these works, I also carry out studies in watercolor, pastel and various drawing media. Metalpoint drawing has long been of interest to me as almost the anthesis of the broader medium of encaustic. Fine metal wire held in mechanical lead pens leaves a deposit on a specially prepared ground, gradually acquiring a patina as the drawing matures. For all of its challenges, the singular beauty of a Metalpoint drawing connects us to the marvelous works of the masters, with a thin line of metal wire stretching across the ages.

Dale O. Roberts - Artists - Gross McCleaf Gallery

Shifting View, 48" x 40", Encaustic 

Dale O. Roberts - Artists - Gross McCleaf Gallery

Lemon, 5.75" x 4.5", Silverpoint With Wash

Silverpoint And Metalpoint Drawing

 

Silverpoint and Metalpoint drawing date back to pre-Renaissance times and have been practiced throughout the centuries by artists from Leonardo and Michelangelo up to the present day. A metal wire is placed in a stylus (often a mechanical lead holder) and when drawn across a specially prepared surface will leave a deposit of that metal behind. The unique properties of each type of metal used will determine the look of the final “mature” drawing, with different metals tarnishing (or not) to specific patinas. Silver turns a warm color, copper a greenish tone and so on.

Drawings are gradually and painstakingly built up over the process with a limited range of pressure. Darks are achieved with multiple layers of hatching and mark making. Altering a drawing by erasing is generally difficult to do.

When asked why not duplicate the color range with much easier methods such as colored pencil, saving all that time and frustration I reply; “True, there are easier methods of securing an image that might look almost the same, but that thin silver wire connects me through history to the whispered poetry of the masters.” Isn’t the pursuit of the beautiful and unique one of the aspirations of fine art? Looking for the easy way rarely produces anything of lasting impact.

Video

Roger Anliker, The Hidden Heart and Relentless Mind of an Artist by John Thornton

"The following video pays tribute to my former professor and dear friend Roger Anliker. A wonderfully creative and powerful artistic force whose work is incomparable. Please enjoy." - Dale O. Roberts

Dale Roberts Silverpoint

2019

 

Dale Roberts Encaustic Painting Demo

by John Thornton

Dale Roberts is one of the world's best painters of encaustic, which is an ancient medium using hot wax with colored pigment mixed in. What really sets Dale apart is that he uses this medium to create breathtakingly painterly but realistic landscapes and still lives. If you want to learn how he paints, watch this video and learn from a real master.