A street artist from East Lancashire is taking part in a BBC series, hosted by British rapper and passionate collector of art, Tinie Tempah.
In the BBC One series, Extraordinary Portraits, artists will meet members of the public with extraordinary stories – and then turn their personal and powerful experiences into compelling portraits.
Dale Grimshaw, who was born in Accrington and grew up in Blackburn, is one of the artists taking part in the series and will feature in the third episode, which airs on 13 March.
He will build a special bond with his sitter, Patrick Hutchinson, a personal trainer from South London who has a special story which is linked to the Black Lives Matter movement.
Patrick was photographed carrying an injured English Defence League member to safety during a Black Lives Matter demonstration in 2020 and was propelled into the media spotlight both here and around the world.
This powerful image and act of kindness was hailed as a symbol of unity and humanity.
Armed with spray cans and oil paint, Dale learns more about the man behind the headlines and aims to use his unique skill and vision to create a portrait that captures the real Patrick.
Speaking to the Lancashire Telegraph, Dale said he loved taking part in the show and working with Patrick to create the piece of artwork.
He said: “My role was to meet Patrick, get to know him, meet his family and bond as much as we can and go beyond initial aesthetic layers.
“Around the world I am known for my street art but the piece of art for the show was on canvas.
“I was trying to produce a powerful, heroic and almost Herculean portrait but also try and get a feel for some of the street art.
“With the piece being so big, I managed to capture what people love and are moved by with street art murals – so I was really pleased about that and chuffed about how it turned out.”
However, the task didn’t come easily and Dale said he invested countless hours and days into perfecting the painting.
He said: “It took me two weeks and it was quite stressful. I was doing really long hours, probably around 10 hour days, to try and get it finished – it was quite intense.”
Dale, who studied art at Blackburn College, said he loved meeting both Tinie and his sitter, Patrick.
While they seemed to be worlds apart, Dale began to bond with Patrick based on their similar backgrounds.
He said: “While Patrick and I were very different, we do have similar backgrounds – we both grew up working class, brought up by our mums and understand how it feels for money to be tight."
However, he certainly felt the pressure of getting the artistic job finished under the scrutiny of a camera lens.
He said: “I met both Patrick and Tinie Tempah for the first time on camera and I found that quite nerve-racking.
“I was trying to stay calm on camera while also trying to learn as much as I can about my sitter.
“It was tricky, you only have a small window of time to capture his essence and he was quite a quiet and thoughtful person… but I was so pleased in the end.”
While he currently lives in London, Dale created some fantastic murals in East Lancashire in the past, including one in Blackburn.
You may have seen one on Barton Street for yourself.
Speaking about the show, Tinie says: “I wanted to put a spotlight on contemporary British heroes; to hear their stories and help create an opportunity where the world can learn about them and their experience through art.
“Portraits are powerful, and a great way of achieving this, but historically they have been reserved for ‘high society’.
"When a portrait of mine went into the National Portrait Gallery I remember the immense pride, inclusion and acknowledgement I felt. It was unquantifiable - it made me feel like I was part of a change in the narrative, and so I hope the extraordinary people I have met making Extraordinary Portraits feel the same way.”
Suzy Klein, Head of BBC Arts, says: “Portraiture has traditionally been a way of commemorating the figures we think of as significant or powerful. What makes Extraordinary Portraits different is that we shift the focus to everyday heroes - shining a light on incredible people whose bravery, courage and good deeds make them truly special, and who we feel deserve to be celebrated.
"Portraiture has the unique ability to capture both the life story and the soul of a subject, and the portraits we’ll see in the series reveal so much - and that intimacy and trust built up between the subject and the artist is something we rarely get to see on television.
"We are delighted to bring these heartwarming stories, along with Tinie’s passion for art, to a prime-time BBC One and BBC iPlayer audience as part of our commitment to ensuring everyone has access to arts and championing the best of British creative talent.”
BBC One's Extraordinary Portraits started on Monday (28 February) and you can watch Dale’s episode and see the completed painting on 13 March.
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