April 9, 1939, Clymer, PA — January 23, 2025, Lacey, WA
Dale Witherow was an abstract painter with roots in landscape painting. His work exhibited ease with the medium and years of familiarity with the language of art. Dale's paintings are deeply personal and reflect his belief that everything is a self-portrait.
Portfolios
Qualifying Marks is a series of portfolios of Dale's work, often of personal significance, in response to his life's passage.
Lived in Olympia, WA | The Pacific Northwest
Dale's work was exhibited at The WA Center and other members of the Arts Guild of Panorama from March 4 to April 22, 2022.
As Mom and I were reminiscing about Dale, I remembered how much Dale had loved this Rudyard Kipling poem: “When Earth’s Last Picture is Painted.” I had shared it with him years ago because it was my Grandma Davis’ favorite (my dad’s mom, who died in 2001). I was surprised he liked it as much as he did due to a couple of the religious references. Anyway, I read it tonight to Mom, and we cried and smiled more, imagining Dale painting away! —CINDY DAVIS MEIXEL
When Earth's Last Picture Is Painted
by Rudyard Kipling
When Earth's last picture is painted and the tubes are twisted and dried, When the oldest colours have faded, and the youngest critic has died, We shall rest, and faith, we shall need it - lie down for an aeon or two, Till the Master of All Good Workmen Shall put us to work anew.
And those that were good shall be happy: they shall sit in a golden chair; They shall splash at a ten-league canvas with brushes of comet's hair. They shall find real saints to draw from - Magdalene, Peter, and Paul; They shall work for an age at a sitting and never be tired at all!
And only the Master shall praise us, and only the Master shall blame; And no one will work for the money, and no one will work for the fame, But each for the joy of the working, and each, in his separate star, Shall draw the Thing as he sees It for the God of Things as They are!
The Three Amigos
The exhibit was the result of a master class led by Witherow in the infamous “art hut” at Mansfield University (MU) in 1984. That was the first time the three men merged, although Witherow and Worthington were college colleagues (Worthington worked on MU’s public relations staff in graphic design and media capacities).