Mark Davies 

Lost In Hollywood, Spellbound, A New Chapter, Through Darkness & light, Storyteller, Retrospective, Remastered, Love Knows No Bounds, Stagecraft, Aurora, Icons, Matryoshka

Born in Bedfordshire in 1978 Mark studied Fine Art within the region with his early works being inspired by the compositional qualities of Piero Della Francesca and Giuseppe Arcimboldo whilst finding inspiration in the surrealism of Salvador Dali. A highly successful graphic design career later evolved that saw him set up his own thriving creative marketing agency. Now living in St Neots, Mark works full-time as a professional mixed-media artist from his beautiful converted brick barn studio within the Cambridgeshire countryside.

The transition from education to profession saw the switch from brush to computer which ultimately steered Mark’s first published works to be predominantly digital, playing to his strengths with the skills that he had perfected through his years of working as a professional retouch artist within the automotive and healthcare industries. Recognising that digital art was commonly viewed upon in a negative light by many and not taken seriously within the art industry Mark set about trying to change people’s perspectives and gain credibility for a genuine skillset that has a place if used correctly.

‘The challenge for me was to create a piece of art that was digital that didn’t look like it had been ‘photoshopped’, for the viewer to be immersed in the image and to embrace it’s qualities without caring or even knowing how it had been created. To piece together a large number of different objects to create an intense scene that has been harmonised and united to look like it has always existed in that way takes tremendous skill and I have always striven to perfect my techniques over the years to deliver a beautiful piece of digital fine art.’

Mark’s now signature ‘Storyteller’ collection showcases his ability to conceive and implement his own narrative to cherished fairytales and classic fictional stories to stunning effect. Inspired by the eloquence of Hans Christian Andersen and ingenuity of the Grimm Brothers, a whole host of much-loved stories have been turned on their head with each chapter being re-written as Mark embraces the often much more sinister plot and motives of the original authors that most don’t know exists as these classics are re-told to generation after generation. ‘What drew me in was seeing how closely the darkness existed to the innocence of how we are told each story as a child and us all being blissfully unaware of the sinister undertow of these books’.

As well as creating mesmerizing imagery full of detail there has always been a subtle and genuine moral quality to the work created to make you think a little deeper. Mark’s original works have created such a wonderful interaction between artist and audience as each searches out the detail and pieces together the plot with the hope that they can get an insight into Mark’s thinking whilst being encouraged to offer their own interpretation of what they see or often don’t see within the image. This genuine engagement has played a significant part in Mark’s gallery shows and appearances being so successful and truly special events.

As the body of work has grown so has Mark’s reputation for creating art with genuine meaning, art that stands on it’s own and that is driven by a fascinating multi-layered narrative like no other. His skill of storytelling has expanded across other areas including stage and screen as he delivers his signature style across a broad range of subjects and genres that continue to pull on the heart strings and embrace nostalgia and the memories that we all hold so fondly. In addition to building a solid gallery presence, Mark’s success has seen his work proudly displayed and selling within iconic venues that include the London Playhouse and Fortune Theatre within the iconic West End along with the highly respected Mall Galleries in London.

Mark has amassed a substantial collector base across the United Kingdom through releasing consistent but diverse collections of work over the past number of years which has since expanded internationally with Mark enjoying particular success within the United States. To date Mark has the enviable statistic of having sold well in excess of one hundred original works, a testament to the amount of effort that goes into each piece along with an unrelenting determination to develop his craft and succeed whilst exploring new opportunities. A more recent move towards exploring mixed media and how it can interact with a digital base layer is one that is quickly bearing fruition within Mark’s work suggesting an even more varied and exciting next chapter in his career.