Dale's early works are highly expressive. He has been described as a modern day Lowry due to the atmospheric nature of his paintings. As he is originally from a working class family having grown up in Bolton, Lancashire in the United Kingdom，Dale has always found inspiration through his empathy with the working classes. Dale has tried to emphasise the rising gap between the upper-middle classes and the working class as portrayed in his paintings 'Heading Home for the New Year' and 'Chaoshan Iron Rooster'.