Born and raised in North Shields, Mark admits he would struggle to find work other than painting.
He says If I had not have had a talent for painting and drawing I would dread to think what I would have ended up doing as a career. The beauty of creating images that normally would not exist in real life is what art means to me. Whenever I see photorealistic paintings it fills me with sadness.
His method of working is different from the traditional approach. Normally artist would work from light to dark but he finds it natural to work in reverse from dark to light. Working exclusively in oils, he always starts with a completely black canvas and add highlights until he finds the balance in contrast. He works hard at composition and at the geometry emphasising light and shadow. He also likes titles to give clues: there is always a strong sense of narrative.
Every original painting is time consuming and can take several weeks to complete. The new ‘Ebony and Ivory’ releases in 3D high gloss with a high lacquer finish and laquered frames give a new dimension to his work as the whole piano look fuses beautifully with the artwork.
Ask any creative person and they will tell you that inspiration is everywhere. The skill is being able to filter out the juicy bits! Without a doubt I am attracted to interesting shapes and shadows, light and contrast. I am a huge fan of comic book artists and the way that they create huge fantasy cities and structures that consume the comic book pages.
To create an image, where the viewer can immerse themselves fully into the picture, enabling them to imagine being there is immensely satisfying. The ability to remember dreams which go as far back as my childhood also plays a big influence in my art. It’s like a slideshow reference library that I can call upon at any time.
Mark Grieves