About the Artist

Born in Portland, Oregon, ceramic artist Dale Pope lives and works across the Columbia River in Battle Ground, Washington.

After a twenty-seven year detour into the corporate world, Dale grasped the opportunity to follow his passion for sculpting and creating three-dimensional art when the company he worked for decided to relocate. Instead of staying with the company, Dale, with the support of his wife Susan, made the "gut wrenching" decision to leave the company and pursue his art.

The first order of business was to build a studio,
which he did even though he had no real construction experience.

"Building the studio was theraputic. It helped me to reconcile and find peace with my decision to radically change my life and identity. It took a year to design and build it. During the construction, I was reluctant to accept help of any kind from anyone. I wanted the studio to represent my sole commitment to the life changing event I was going through.

As the walls went up and I gained the skill to overcome the challenges of building a project of this magnitude, I began to gain the confidence that I had made the right decision.

The studio was completed in 2006, and I immediately stocked it with the equipment and supplies to start my "new career". My first pieces were hand-carved tiles, but I soon expanded to include three-dimensional sculptural pieces also.

I have always had great respect and fondness for the Arts and Crafts movement, and I found myself borrowing many of the key elements from the philosophy of the movement and integrating the spirit into my work. The aesthetic values of simple beauty and honest use of materials are at the core of all my creations.

My inspirations come from nature. The compositions are natural and reflect my interpretation of the natural world around me. My greatest satisfaction comes from sharing my work with others!"