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Growing up in Northwestern Pennsylvania, Dike’s life revolved around abundant wildlife, especially ruffed grouse, woodcock and brook trout. He remains a lifelong grouse and woodcock hunter, a pointing dog enthusiast and an avid fly fisherman; he enjoys competing in hunters’ trials with his three American Brittanys.
For many years, Dike has dabbled in drawing. He didn’t formally draw until his retirement six years ago. He’s a self-taught artist, specializing in graphite pencil drawings of sporting dogs, horses and fish. His medium is Tombow mono pencils and Fabriano paper. When starting a drawing of a subject, he always begins with the eyes. The eyes tell a story of the animal’s personality—it’s their soul coming through on the paper. You can contact Dike on his Facebook page: Dale Dike, Artist.