in 1969 dale received a canada council grant to pursue her studies in mexico where she began to experiment with fibreglass, a medium she consequently favoured, finding it more flexible than clay. these experiments culminated first in a mural commission for the winnipeg planetarium as part of the manitoba’s 1970 provincial centennial celebrations, financed by the bronfman family through cemp investments ltd. this black triptych representing the universe has since been removed and placed in storage at the planetarium. dale's next commission, a more colourful organic abstract fibreglass mural, measured 6 x 27 feet. designed for the lobby of the royal st. andrew apartment building in sarasota, florida, its colours ranged from blue to purple in a technique that used wax, a return to the encaustic technique dale had used a decade earlier.