While I paint many different kinds of subjects, the landscape is my first and greatest love. Like many artists, I strive to achieve a painterly realism in my work. I do this for a few reasons. As students we are taught to focus on what is essential in our subject; but this can be a subjective judgment. For me, what is essential about nature is its complexity. Everywhere I look I see the grittiness, cragginess and layered, fine-grained texture of the natural world. It is this essential complexity I try to capture in paint. Experience has taught me that the best way to do this is to let the paint do what it does best: look like paint. Drips, splatters, wipes, palette knife, various brushes, and plenty of other abstract paint applications are crucial. Exactly how painterly to make it is a question for each painting, and is dictated by the subject at hand and what about it I most wish to capture. And since I start most of my paintings outdoors, it’s worth noting that weather, that simple and unalterable force of nature, shapes a great part of what I do and how I do it. Time is limited and a complete and literal rendering of every element is neither possible nor desirable. So while the idea is to simplify, I am careful not to make it simple, for nature is never simple. Among the top honors Mark has received are the Grand Prize for Landscape and a spot on the cover of International Artist magazine, as well as more recently the Joseph Hartley Memorial award at the prestigious Salmagundi Club in New York City, Best in Show at the American Impressionist Society's National Exhibition and Best in Show at the Scottsdale Salon of Fine Art.SELECTED AWARDS2018 ARC Realism Award - OPA National Exhibition
2015 Artists' Choice - Easton Plein Air
2015 Best in Show - Wayne Plein Air
2015 2nd Place Overall - Plein Air Salon
2014 Best In Show - American Impressionist Society
2014 Artists' Choice - Door County Plein Air
2014 Best in Show - Wayne Plein Air
2013 Best in Show - Scottsdale Salon of Fine Art
2013 Best in Show - Vermont Plein Air
2013 Artists' Choice - Vermont Plein Air
2013 Best in Show - Door County Plein Air
2013 Artists' Choice - Door County Plein Air
2011 Joseph Hartley Memorial Award - Salmagundi Club
SELECTED ARTICLES2019 Feature Article - June Issue - Local Life
2018 Feature Article - June Issue - Western Art & Architecture
2017 Feature Article - August Issue - Southwest Art
2015 Feature Article - April Issue - Southwest Art
2014 Feature Article - Nov/Dec Issue - Art of the West
2013 Featured Artist - Oct/Nov Plein Air Magazine
2012 Feature Article - Oct/Nov. issue International Artist Magazine
2010 Grand Prize - Feb/March issue International Artist Magazine
2018 Awards Judge - The New England Landscape - Lyme Art Association
2018 Awards Judge - 93rd Annual Hoosier Salon - Indianapolis Museum of Art
2017 Awards Judge - Connecticut Plein Air Society - Annual Juried Show
2016 Awards Judge - Land, Light, Air Exhibition - Bryan Gallery
2016 Awards Judge - Laumeister Fine Art Competition - Bennington Art Center