Oil painter Mark Mentzer creates a variety of work, including large cityscapes of Pittsburgh and small still lifes from around his studio. To Mentzer, these are one and the same; in both subjects, he sees primarily shapes. The shapes in the cityscapes repeat themselves in the smaller shapes of the objects on the tabletops.Some cityscapes appear as paintings within paintings, leaving the viewer unsure of whether he is looking out a window or at a painting casually propped up on a desktop. All are architecturally rendered giving them a contemporary feel. His muted grays take on their surrounding colors and heighten the pure color accents.Mentzer earned his Bachelor’s degree in fine arts from Carnegie Mellon University and received a fellowship to study at Yale University. He has taught at universities in Cologne, Germany; Southampton, England; Barcelona, Spain; Seoul, Korea; Rome, Italy; Tours, France; and Edmonton, Canada.Mentzer maintains a studio in the Lawrenceville area of Pittsburgh. His work may be found in numerous public and private collections in the U.S. and abroad. He has recently retired as the Professor and Associate Head of the School of Design at Carnegie Mellon University, thus allowing him more time in the studio. Watch a video of Mark in his studio here.