About Mark Seewall
Artist Statement
My work has been a process in constant evolution. Whether I’m producing actively or collecting life experiences, it all filters into my vision and creative evolution. There have been times when I’ve stepped away to let that process unfold naturally. I find that when I do, I come back with a new insight, a change in the phase of my life, or a shift in mood, and this always has a way of finding its way into my work. This process can either be a great loyal kind friend or a challenging foe. In any case, it is my teacher. I trust it and the path that unfolds because of it.
I spent a good amount of time and study on the human figure from an early age. Live nude model drawing started for me at the age of 12. Beginning at this age and becoming familiar with the method authored by Nicolaides “The Natural Way to Draw” gave me a fluid approach with my mark making. It taught me to very simply trust what I see. The figure along with my fascination for science/biology still proves to be a subject that never ceases to provide me with continual admiration and respect. I tend to revisit the human form periodically as if coming home.
My love for the tactility in medium inspired a curiosity for sculpture and ceramics. While pursuing my BFA from University of Florida 1986, I included ceramics as an elective study. Beyond that, I did substantial further self-directed study and opened a ceramics studio where I made large Raku fired sculptural thrown yet altered vases and low fired large flat bowls which I used as canvases for figure drawing. The studio was reasonably successful, and pieces sold nationally by means of an art rep showing through the LA Mart in Los Angeles.
Currently, I have found great satisfaction in my oil painting series that originates with imagery found in tidepools. This series allows for an undeniable culmination of my work to date. I would classify these pieces as abstract expressionism. They are a culmination in the sense that they show my appreciation for unconcealed free mark making and impasto, the imagery is nature/science based, and allows for great variation in shape and color. For me, these are a metaphor for the adventure and surprising elements in life and art. From a distance, they pull together in a more literal representation but as you approach, they fall apart and unveil an evocative appreciation for mark making and the abstract. It would be as if approaching a tide pool when the closer you get the more hidden surprise elements become apparent. In the case of these pieces, instead of finding fascination in the tide pool populace, it would be the mark making and color/temperature/shape juxtapositions that are discovered. Stepping back, it once again pulls together in a more gestalt literal sense as is the case viewing landscape naturally. I hope to give the viewer the value of experiencing something at a distance but also something different and equally compelling close up. The play of light in water is, for me, extremely intriguing and easily lends itself well to my expressionistic application. The size of these pieces also plays an important role in that they are meant as an immersive experience. My current influences are Anselm Kiefer, Gerhard Richtor, and my great figurative long love affair for the work of Lucian Freud to name just a few.