Mark Spain
 I
have always been interested in art right from an early age. After having
attended Art College, I decided I favoured printmaking and opened up a print
making studio in Kent where I spent many years developing my etching and
collagraph techniques. After the storm of October 1997 I was commissioned to
produce a limited edition etching of Kew Gardens. Other commissions have
included ones for Natwest Bank and The Dorchester Hotel. My art began with
a love of landscape images and had many etching editions published by CCA
Galleries of London. These were successful and spanned many years. However,
as time went on I felt the need to develop other forms of imagery from
abstract to figurative. I am constantly experimenting with different
subjects and techniques, which I then apply to a variety of images. Although
this is new to me I have thoroughly enjoyed and embraced the new challenge.
My collagraphs have been exhibited at Mall Galleries, and my abstract
oils at the 20th Century British Art Fair as well as other works being shown
at the Chelsea and Hampton Court Flower Show and the Barbican Contemporary
Print Fair.
My ideas can come from many sources, but are more often than not prompted
by music. The majority of ideas develop when I知 working on another painting
or in the evening when I知 relaxing. When this happens I do a small
thumbnail size sketch so that I don稚 forget it. Then at a later date I work
the sketches up, until I can visualise it as a painting, with the use of
models and props. I believe that the mood and feeling within the painting
are as important as the composition. This is an area that I enjoy exploring
- it痴 such an exciting challenge to try and capture a moment (good music at
this point always helps). Once I have a clear idea of an image, I will
often develop a colour rough to try to help create the right feeling. If I
am working in oils, I will paint a basic background colour that is
predominant within the image and then begin to work forward. Once the basic
picture is painted, I will continue to work the colours of the subject and
background until I知 happy with the general mood and feeling within the
image. I always like to create a little energy with the brush strokes, to
help give the finished painting some life. Once finished I often place the
picture out of sight for a few days and then re-visit it later with fresh
eyes to see how I feel about it, and whether I can improve it in any way.
When painting abstracts, my approach is somewhat more spontaneous. I don稚
usually have any preconceived ideas, and I just allow the image to happen.
Colour choice depends on my mood and I usually work on several images at
once. I will continue to work on them over a period of several months,
sometimes painting major changes to the image many times, until I知
satisfied with the end result. My typical day for me would depend on
whether I知 print-making or painting. When printing, the day normally begins
at about 8.00am with the preparation of inks and paper. If all goes well I
will hopefully have my first print pulled off the press at about 9-9.30am.
Once I am set up and the prints are coming off the press, I either print
part of an edition or continue colour proofing new images for the rest of
the day until about 5.30pm. If I知 painting my working day is somewhat
less demanding physically, but can mean a much longer day. I may start the
day off with a light workout at the local gym, followed by breakfast at
about 9.00am. I begin painting fairly slowly with plenty of tea breaks and
music in the background until hopefully I settle into an image and it seems
to flow. If its going well, I will continue with it until I feel I need a
break, otherwise I usually stop for lunch at about 1.30pm and then carry on
working until about 6.30pm when family matters take over. With two young
children I try as much as possible to make sure I spend some quality time
with them each day. I may return to work about 9.00pm, once the children are
in bed, and if I知 feeling particularly keen and inspired I have no fixed
finishing time before calling it a day.
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