MARK N. BROWN
A Native of Hawaii, Mark comes from a family loaded with artistic talent. He attended local public schools and art quickly emerged as his favorite subject. Inspired by the drawings from his favorite comic books, Mark’s natural artistic abilities rapidly developed.
Mark voraciously studied art books and while still attending Castle High school, he began taking uninstructed Life Drawing classes which led him toward entering his work into shows and contests, receiving commissions for work and eventually starting his own graphic design company in 1984 specializing in calligraphy, lettering and silk screening. Mark has since been monitoring a similar Life Drawing class weekly at Chaminade University.
In 1993, Mark joined en Plein Air (outdoor) painting class offered by the University of Hawaii outreach college. It was through this immersion in Plein Air oil painting that Mark was able to unearth his unique style of impressionist landscape paintings that he is now so well known for.
His Plein Air class instructor Florence Ko retired in 2000 and passed the teaching reins on to Mark. He continues as a teacher of the Plein Air painting class on Saturdays. Mark’s daily outdoor painting pursuits produce the majority of his work for galleries, commissions and shows.
Mark’s success and enthusiasm for Plein Air painting and his genuine joy for offering instruction to others has brought him respect and recognition in the art community as well as many invitations to hold workshops throughout Hawaii and the world.
Mark has earned numerous awards and has been the recipient of many honors.
His paintings of Hawaii's Landscape and Scenery can be seen all throughout the Hawaiian Islands in private collections, as well as numerous Art Galleries, Fine Retail Shops and Government facilities.
His home is in beautiful Kalihi valley where he loves with his devoted cat Petruse. And his studio is in the various Hawaiian landscapes, where ever he can find room for his easal.
Accomplishments
2006 – 1st place Quick Draw juried competition, Maui Plein Air Invitational
2004 – Signature Artist for Islanders Plein Air Painters Organization
2004 – Selected as Signature Artist for P.A.P.O.H.
2000 – To present – Featured Artist for Punahou Carnival Art Benefit
2000 through 2006 – Honolulu Academy of Arts Invited Artist for “Showcase Exhibit”
2005 – 10’x15’ Mural Commission for City and County of Honolulu, Arts in the Parks, Waipio Aquatic Park
2003 – “Atelier 4” Queen Street Gallery Opening
2002, 2003, 2005 – Aloha Airlines Executive Calendar
2003 – Mural Commission for Tory Richards Duty Free Shop
2002 – City and County of Honolulu, “Mayor’s Culture On the Arts” Paintings for Mayor’s office
2002 – Haleiwa Art Festival Featured Artist, poster, t-shirt
1999 – 20’x 80’ Mural Commission for TV series “One West Waikiki”
1998 – Portrait commissions for Nationwide telecast of Hula Bowl Halftime Show
1998 – Mural Commission for Victoria Ward, Ward Centers Amphitheater
Secondary Menu
ARTIST STATEMENT
"I enjoy painting outdoors on location because it limits the amount of time that you have to capture the light in your painting, it makes you call attention to the most important elements and puts the non essential objects to be out of focus , as Kimon Nicolaides the author of the book "The Natural Way to Draw " would instruct in the gesture chapter of his book "don't draw what it looks like" "draw what it is doing" , and I honor that with the spirit of responding to the gesture of the landscape , light, movement, texture, brushwork when a person listens to a live music concert, he responds with clapping, head, body moving, foot tapping, and when I watch the breaking surf at Makapu'u, I respond the same way with my interpatation of colors, brush work on canvas, moment, and editing of information.
To be in the moment before the landscape that I am painting and not be in the analitical mode, you have to be veresed in the fudamentals, so I draw daily from life and do weekly life drawing studio sessions.
Our vision is always ahead of your ability to paint, but when your in the moment, for that brief time you feel as time is standing still."
Memberships
(signature member)
