Description

Mary (Standard) by Mark Davies

My motive for creating this piece is drawn from seeing the acclaimed ‘Mary Poppins Returns’ with my family over Christmas just gone. If you have seen the film then I am sure that you will remember the point in the film where Mary Poppins sings ‘The Place Where Lost Things Go’ – a truly beautiful song to provide comfort to the two children who lost their Mother.

Last year, on the 24th January my Grandmother, Mary passed away – an incredible woman who I have referenced within my work for years (Ypres). Sitting next to my Mother seeing her suffering in silence throughout this point in the film was naturally hard to see and has stuck with me since. So as with so many of my pieces to date I chose to create a visual reaction to this as my way of creating a sense of comfort through the image. Art is how I talk to myself and to others, it helps.

From the reaction to people seeing cropped sections and hearing how they are drawn to the image and what it represents is really special and I am really confident that ‘Mary’ will be a success with collectors new and existing.

We’re all stories in the end. Just make it a good one, eh?

Mixed Media British Artist Mark Davies was born in Bedfordshire in 1978 and 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. Now living in St Neots Mark works full-time as a professional artist from his beautiful converted brick barn studio within the Cambridgeshire countryside.

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.

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.