Weinberger Fine Art is proud to announce a solo exhibition from Mark English, November 5 through December 30, 2015 in the Crossroads Arts District, Kansas City, Missouri.
Being in a room with Mark English’s work is akin to being surrounded by dreamlike figments of one’s own imagination and memory. His diaphanous portraits have just enough detail to recall a beloved character from a novel. His expansive and romantic countrysides seem to be snapshots from a childhood road trip you almost remember. English is a master of the visual narrative and the unique beauty of his work lies in the fact that each viewer is left to finish the storyfor themselves.
Kansas City based artist, Mark English, hails from Hubbard, a small town in central Texas. Intrigued by paintings advertising rodeos on businesswindows, he became inspired to study illustration. After attending the University of Texas and The Art Center College in Los Angeles, English moved to Connecticut to begin a career as one of America’s most well-known illustrators. Throughout the 1960s and 70s, English’s work could be found in numerous publications including; Time, Redbook, Sports Illustrated, and many other well-known periodicals. An invitation from Hallmark in 1977 brought the established illustrator to Kansas City.
In the 1990’s, English decided to pursue a new avenue in his career as he began painting for galleries. Since this decision, English has contributed to innumerable exhibitions internationally in both solo and group shows. Similar to his career as an illustrator, Mark English has triumphed as a fine artist. His work is a part of numerous public and private collections and has been featured at the SmithsonianInstitute in Washington, D.C.
In his early career as an illustrator, English executed his work in a photo-realistic fashion. His style as a fine artist developed in almost direct opposition to his earlier methods. English worked to adjust his approach, trading rigidity and detail for intuition and experimentation.
English continues his journey down the road of abstraction and narrative with new work in this exhibition. Viewers will find that his well-known subjects; horses, portraits, and landscapes, dissolve in a lyrical patchwork of color, play, and pattern. These familiar identifiable elements make the work accessible, while the absences of detail createsa mysteriousness. His imageryremains representational through a lens of abstraction by using layered texture and diffused details. In the same way that his subjects retain a sense of ambiguity, so too do his chosen mediums. English employs a host of materials and processes from oil and acrylic paint, to graphite, house paint, and paper collage.
“My theory about art is that it’s a lifetime search,” explains English, “My work continues to develop as I keep learning.” Now in his eighties, the remarkably vital artist has amassed an impressive store of knowledge and techniques which he continues to build upon.
While other artists work to conceal their processes, Mark English invites viewers to see the evolution of his work. “This is what is so special about Mark,” says Kim Weinberger, “he is always challenging himself to make exciting new work and he leaves evidence of his artistic journey in every piece.”
Weinberger Fine Art has representedMark English since 2010. The Kansas City, Missouri Gallery offers a range of services for the established collector and the first time buyer. Owner Kim Weinberger strives to be the critical link between artists and patrons. Visit the gallery Tuesday-Friday 10am-6pm, Saturday 12-5pm, and First Fridays 10am-9pm. Also available private viewings anytime to see the work of Mark English and other represented artists.
