FAIRFIELD — If COVID-19 didn’t give you enough inspiration to enjoy the outdoors this summer, perhaps a trip to an art exhibit in Fairfield will.
When Bonnie Dale was just three years old, she watched her mother painting pink roses on Valentines for local teachers. She’s been inspired to be an artist ever since. And for the first time in years, a large amount of her work is on display at the Big Sky Pottery & Art Gallery in Fairfield.
“I found a box of crayons. We always had something like that around and I decided I was going to decorate the wall,” Dale said. “That was my first experience at painting, was mother’s wall.”
Dale grew up in a family of 17 children on a ranch near the Sun River. Her father was a game warden, instilling in her a love of animals. Dale added sculpting to her skillset in middle school, and eventually embarked on an art career over four decades.
“Living on the ranch like that and being around mom and dad both they loved animals. I grew up loving them,” she said.
Gallery owner Andy Watson said it’s been a joy to watch it come to life with Dale’s art. More often than not, Dale gave her pieces away. Most of what’s on display is on loan from local owners, but some simply couldn’t give up their pieces, even temporarily.
“When you have something of Bonnie Dale, it bespeaks of the love of nature that only somebody who grew up and spent every day of your childhood, wherever your formative years are, could start breathing that in and it becomes a part of their system,” Watson said.
But there’s one piece on display near and dear to Dale that she could never part with. It’s one of her mom’s favorite spots on the Sun River.
“I loved my mother. She was my best friend and we sat there on the bank and visited. That was our last just one-on-one visit together,” Dale said. “And I painted that thinking of mom and put the roses where we sat.”
Dale’s exhibit was scheduled to end on May 31, but Watson said he plans on extending it to June 15.
