Mark was born and raised in Southeastern Oregon near the Idaho border and began drawing at an early age. While growing up, he spent a great deal of time camping and fishing in the mountains of Central Idaho, which is where he developed his love of nature.
By age thirteen he had taken up bird watching after going on a few outings with a friend whose brother was working on his Biology thesis.
It was at this time in his life that he combined his love of art with his love of wildlife.
At the age of sixteen he joined the Treasure Valley Artists Association and was their youngest member.
Mark works primarily in Acrylic on Clayboard. This allows for a high level of detail and color. He also works in graphite, pen and ink and colored pencil.
Mark continues to enjoy bird watching and has had the privilege of birding with David Allen Sibley, noted author of the Sibley field guides.
“My goal as a wildlife artist is to capture the beauty of nature. I paint what I see. To me nothing is more artistic than nature's perfect form. I work from photographs, mounts, and field observations in order to accurately portray my subjects. I combine realism with subtle impressionism to create the feeling of depth in my paintings.”
Mark’s painting techniques are self-taught. His favorite surface to paint on is the original smooth Clayboard because of its lack of texture. By using the smooth Clayboard, he is able to paint as much or as little detail as he wants.
Check out Mark's Facebook page to see his stunning work.
No comments:
Post a Comment