Dale Pousson’s ‘Observations’ to open at The Gallery Saturday night

Dale Pousson is a retired farmer with no formal art training, but he is hands-down one of the best artists in these parts, and his work will be shown at The Gallery during the month of March.
The show, “Observations,” will open with a wine and cheese gala Saturday, March, 5, and the event is free and open to the public.
Pousson, who lives in Egan and is married to the former Marguerite Broussard, recalls that he loved to draw when he was in school and sometimes got in trouble for it. He couldn’t stand to see a clean sheet of paper and was compelled to doodle. After he graduated from high school, however, he started farming and his drawing days were over. For then.
He recalls that he picked it back up in 1987 when, after watching people painting on television, he pulled a 10-year-old paint set given to him by his sister-in-law out of the closet.
The set included oil, watercolor and acrylic paints, but the only ones he could open were the acrylics, so that’s what he used.
At the time, he was drawing well, but he was having trouble mixing colors, so he got some books and taught himself how to do it.
Pousson continues to use acrylics despite the fact that many artists don’t care for them because they dry very quickly. That is perfect for Pousson, however, because it allows him to work faster and do more detail work.
Pousson is a meticulous painter whose every brush stroke is precise. A wildlife painter who won the 2003-2004 Louisiana Duck Stamp competition, he will sometimes paint a single feather two or three times to achieve what he considers perfection.
When he first began painting, he used canvas board and then tried canvas itself. At a Waterfowl Expo in the Cajundome, however, he met Elton Louvierre, a professional artist who introduced him to Masonite, and that’s what he has been using ever since.
Other than that, what he has learned throughout the years has come from watching others and looking at their paintings, figuring out what to do and what not to do.
Pousson begins each of his paintings with research and drawing. He says he usually draws his subjects three or four times and will often spend as much time drawing as he does painting.
Viewers of Pousson’s work will note that, for the most part, there are no visible brushstrokes (Pousson dislikes them), which gives his paintings a smooth, almost translucent quality. He is always looking at light and always thinking of depth.
Pousson was a rice, soybean and cattle farmer before he retired in 2001, and, like any farmer, he is highly attuned to the land and natural resources around him. He hopes that those who view his show may develop a greater appreciation for nature.
Pousson’s show contains a large number of works, including both paintings and prints, so gala-goers will have plenty to view. They will also have a chance to meet Pousson, who is down-to-earth, funny and always happy to talk about geese, ducks, art and life in general.
The gala will take place from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at The Gallery, 222 N. Parkerson Ave. For more information, call The Gallery at 783-3747.