Whitesville resident Dale Grasela is putting on a “show and sell” event with his various pour art paintings from 5-8 p.m. Friday in the former Studio Slant building.
Grasela’s art will be hanging or on an easel, and there will be no live painting. The building is located at 624 Emory Drive.
“I want people to see what’s in my head or whatever is in theirs,” Grasela said. “I like to do these, but I’m running out of room for them and wouldn’t mind finding a new home for them.”
The movement of color may puzzle those who have not heard of “pour art,” but Dale Grasela has become a master since his discovery.
Always interested in art but working almost exclusively with ink and pencil early on, Grasela created portraits, graphics, and cartoons.
After being diagnosed with a rare form of brain cancer, the 48-year-old Grasela now sees vividly. Colors explode in his brain and he transports those visions onto canvases and other unique, non-traditional mediums.
Grasela, was diagnosed with an astrocytoma late in the summer of 2019. When it was determined that the glioma was inoperable, Grasela agreed to undergo extensive chemotherapy and radiation.
The goal was not to be cured, but rather to slow down the growth of this malignancy.
“I had faith in my doctors, but deep down I wondered how long I would live,” Grasela said.
As a form of rehabilitation, Grasela turned back to artistry. Always known for having the ability to draw, Grasela has taken his creativity into an arena of vast colors.
Grasela laughed as he said that at the beginning, his trial and errors “sucked.” But now, after a year of study, he can control the paint — producing abstracts with vibrant colors that allows the viewer to see many different objects, thoughts, and feelings.
Grasela uses straws, hair dryers, wind, gravity, and other peculiar tools to allow the colors to intermingle and define the flow of design.
“Blending, mixing and discovering colors that bring harmony allows my mind to stay focused, almost in trance with the color movements,” he said.
Grasela shows off his art on a Facebook Page named Artwork Orange, and hopes to have more art shows and exhibits in the tristate region.
“I have so many ideas that fill my head,” he said. “I need the outlets to make this art become a reality.”
Angela Woosley contributed to this article.
