Quinn's of Tweed Fine Art Gallery

Adrian Dingle

Adrian Dingle (1911-1974) was a Welsh Canadian painter and cartoonist. Born in Barmouth, Gwynedd, north Wales, he moved to the Toronto region when he was only three. After his time studying under J.W. Beatty at the Ontario College of Art in the early 1930s, he would travel to England to work as an illustrator for two years. Upon his return to Canada, he continued to do illustration professionally and teach at the Doon School of Fine Arts in Kitchener. Dingle became well known for his landscapes, seascapes, and figure studies as well as his versatility in medium and style. A frequent and adventurous traveller, his landscapes depicted a wide variety of locations including Italy, Spain, Portugal, the British Isles Massachusetts, and Cape Breton. From 1941 to 1947 he wrote and illustrated Canada’s first female superhero comic series Nelvana of the Northern Lights, pre-dating even Wonder Woman. Many of these comics drew stories based on the conflicts within the war. He also produced comics with his characters The Penguin (The Blue Raven) and Nils Grant, Private Investigator. A member of The Royal Canadian Academy of Arts, the Ontario Society of Artists, and the Ontario Institute of Painters, his paintings carry an impressionist style iconic to Canada’s art history. Today his work hangs in The National Gallery of Canada, The London Regional Art & Historical Museum, and various corporate and private collections. Dingle passed away at age 63 due to complications from his battle with cancer. The Joe Shuster Awards Hall of Fame posthumously inducted him in 2005. He is fondly remembered in both Canada’s fine art and comic book communities. Nelvana’s image has been featured on honorary stamps and been meticulously restored by comic historians.