Mark Grieves

MARK GRIEVES

Mark Grieves who was born in Newcastle Upon Tyne, admits he would struggle to find work other than painting, he says that “the beauty of creating images that normally wouldn’t exist is what art means to me”.

Mark’s hugely successful musical series was a complete sell-out with his former publishers. His originals and limited editions often sold within a few days of issue. Due to the painstaking attention to detail, original paintings are in short supply. This then leads to a high demand.

Continuing on that theme after a break of 5 years, Mark has joined Buckingham Fine Art. They have added a new dimension to the new ‘Ebony and Ivory’ releases by offering not only canvas, but 3D resined editions. Says Ray Loud of Buckingham, “It occurred to us that the obvious move for Mark was a resined edition which, with its high lacquer finish, gave a new dimension to his work. Not only that, but by using black and white lacquered frames the whole piano look fused beautifully with the artwork.

“If I hadn’t have had a talent for painting and drawing I would dread to think what I would have ended up doing as a career. I have no interest in doing anything else. I grew up with fantasy and sci fi art where my bedroom walls were adorned with Rodney Matthews posters. The beauty of creating images that normally wouldn’t exist in real life is what art means to me. Whenever I see photorealistic paintings it fills me with sadness.”

“My method of working is a little bit different from the traditional approach. Normally you would work from light to dark. I find it natural, to work in reverse from dark to light. Working exclusively in oils, I always start with a completely black canvas and add highlights until I find the balance in contrast. I work hard at composition and at the geometry emphasising light and shadow. I like painting titles to give clues. There is always a strong sense of narrative. I paint what comes into my head, from my imagination. Every original painting is time consuming. These and can take many weeks to complete. I am confident this shows in the end result.”