Artist Statement

My grand parents on both sides were artists. My paternal grandmother painted still life oil paintings while my maternal grandparents preferred watercolor landscapes. You might say I took from both worlds by becoming a landscape oil painter. I began experimenting with oils early on and immediately found it to be my creative choice.

I find inspiration in the outdoors, from the quiet lush beauty of a summer morning to the unadorned stillness of a winter afternoon. I see beauty in nature and transcribe that in my work.

Technique

Mark uses a blend of strong graphic brush strokes and the application of a well-calculated color palette to create his work. Through manipulation of layers of paint Mark is able to create a work that allows the viewer (at first glance) to imagine that they could reach into the painting and pull a leaf off a tree. Upon further inspection the quality of the work itself is apparent in the small details afforded to each element.

Biography

Mark Berens was born in 1977 in Montreal, Quebec. His introduction to the art world can easily be attributed to his grandparents on both sides. After a childhood spent immersed in creativity, Mark enrolled at the Ontario College of Art & Design where he graduated in 1999 with a degree in Illustration.

After graduation Mark spent some time struggling creatively working in editorial illustration and design work. He quickly determined that this wasn't the path he was supposed to be on and in the fall of 2002 he packed up his paints a headed out west to Whistler, BC. Instantly inspired he reconnected with the beauty of the outside world and began to put paint to canvas.

Mark now resides on the shores of Georgian Bay where inspiration is right outside his window.

His work can be found in galleries and private collections in Canada, Great Britain and the USA.