Artists Statement My artistic journey has allowed me to research everything from the prehistoric to contemporary symbols and images from cultures around the world. It has also focused on our relationships with animals, their stories and fables and how they differ from culture to culture. The salamander during Medieval times was thought, “to be born of fire”, an amphibian phoenix. For many cultures, insects are the signs of rebirth and growth, but also the harbingers of death and pestilence. So, if I have to classify myself, it would be as an image-maker. My personal images are a collection of strokes and marks, made by various tools, to create a believable world linking these symbols and visuals together. The visual story can be simple or complex, humorous to mysterious, full of fantastic creatures or just one object, and in colour or black and white. All of these elements become the basis for my visual images. Sometimes they are a series of drawing and sometimes the statement is complete in one image. I cannot expect the viewer to know all of the symbols and their meaning in my work. Part of that is up to their personal interpretations and reactions to my images. We all know, as time moves on words and images change their meaning to each generation. But, I would hope that my love of the natural world, its mystery, its shapes and forms, its textures, and its beauty comes across in my work. Video Interview: See my new video interview filmed by MINGLED MEDIA. Clients: Marvel Comics, D. C. Comics, Dark Horse Comics, IDW Comics, First Comics, Eclipse Comics, Now Comics, Kitchen Sink Comics, and Just Imagine Comics Tonka Toys Hero Illustrated Wizards of the Coast, TSR, Dragon Magazine, Dungeon Magazine, White Wolf, Armageddon, FASA, Five Rings, Piazo Publishing Subterranean Press, Cemetery Dance Publications, Borderlands Press, Roadkill Press, Ziesing Books, Journal Wired, Byron Priess, Sight and Sound Books, Worldbook-Childcraft, David C. Cook, Fantasy Newsletter, and Graphic Classics Raven Software, Big Rooster, Emergence Games, Sega Games Experience: Art Director Lead Concept Artist Pi Studios 2008 to present Education: M.F.A. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor Work Represented In: From Pencils to Inks: The Art of Mark A. Nelson
Galleries: Longbranch Gallery (www.longbranchgallery.com) |
