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Born in Chicago and raised off the Purple Line,is the product art school and the urban reality of a society that a had an impressively flourishing graffiti culture that went through what could be described and a genocide as it struggled to prevail against a government not concerned with the valuable organism that is graffiti. 

 

Motivated to preserve the culture that was being gutted and disregarded as vandalism, Mark went to film school and bought a camera (MiniDV at the time – which was badass for that moment) and went on to produce the documentary film
I Write on Stuff. 

 

With a love for film and a love for art, He went on to write the script for his directorial debut Lac du Flambeau.  This time the film was an abstract drama, pushing the boundaries of the cinemas way of telling stories, and focused on creating a film for people who like to think while watching a movie: a style of film making that is becoming rare and struggles to find a market.

 

After obtaining two art degrees – BA in Film from Columbia College Chicago, and an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago - it was time to step up and make a strong body of work.

 

With Mark’s affection for spray paint, he never strayed for from a can.  He uses spray paint to give life to old windows and doors, creating a collection of works spanning over a decade of reverse glass paintings using a complex stenciling system. 

 

Being a child with a skateboard, the growing fascination with skateboard graphics developed early.  Using skateboards as canvas, Mark included a new artistic interpretation of what skateboard art could be, and continues to explore the use of skateboards as a furthering expression of his affection for the icon.

 

Mark experiments in a playful and respectful way with the iconic image; be it a person, place or thing.  Using reclaimed materials, he reclaims the iconic figure, allowing for a renewed and re-emerging connection to the icons as well as continuing to explore the playfulness and application of color and composition.

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