B I O G R A P H Y Mark Lague has garnered considerable recognition in both his native Canada and the United States for his paintings, which gleam with light and exude a palpable energy. He is considered one of the top cityscape artists of our time. Lague’s work is very detailed from start to finish. He believes that in order to achieve good composition while painting, one must first complete several studies of the piece. He begins with a value study in pencil, followed by a small oil sketch to work out any possible color problems. While he used to paint many “alla prima” (all in one session) pieces, he now works more often in his studio. While his main focus, and what he teaches his students, is to be aware of value, his basic motto is: “painting directly and spontaneously, while maintaining control and accuracy is the key.” Unlike most other artists, Lague will complete one section of a painting at a time before moving on to the next area, rather than approach the piece as a whole. He feels this creates more interesting “wet into wet” effects that he would lose if he worked several areas at once. Lague has been accepted into a number of prestigious juried exhibitions, including the American Watercolor Society Annual, Salmagundi Club, NYC, 1996 and 2003; Salon International Annual, Greenhouse Gallery, San Antonio, TX, 2002 and 2003; American Artists Professional League Annual, Salmagundi Club, NYC, 1996 and 2002 (recipient of "American Artists Fund Award") Oil Painters of America East/Southeast Regional Exhibition (Brazier Fine Art, Richmond, VA), 2002 (recipient of "Award of Excellence"), the Allied Artists of America (NYC), 1997; and the S.C.A. Annual (Montreal, Quebec), 1996 (Honorable Mention). He has also had solo exhibitions at the Galerie Art & Culture and at the McCord Museum, both in Montreal, Quebec, as well as the Marchant Gallery in Lancaster, Ontario.