When Dale was growing up in Northern Virginia, Fairfax was a rural farm community and her home was on a farm. There were beef cattle, chickens, horses, gardens, and an orchard. Her father worked for the Saturday Evening Post as a news photographer and later was the official White House photographer during the Nixon Administration. She became interested in painting when her mother started her with oils painting set-ups together. In Dale's own words...

Early influences included art classes in the community and exposure to such artists as her father, Ollie Atkins, award-winning photographer, and Norman Rockwell, her father's close friend and associate.

She continued painting through high school and college (Radford University) taking as many art classes as time would allow, and graduating with a degree in Elementary Education.

She began painting full time in the late 80's. She has received much recognition for her work, has shown her work in several galleries and had shows in the U.S. and abroad.

She has just closed another one-man show with the Blue Ridge Arts Counsel in Front Royal Va.