My name is Mark, and I live with my wife Vanessa and two German Shorthaired Pointers, Reinhardt and Heide, in the gorgeous Dandenong Ranges, east of Melbourne.
First and foremost, I make no claims to being a great artist – or even a particularly good one. I have dabbled in art before, having briefly experimented with some abstract works in acrylics many years ago, but I have only just recently started to paint in oils.
The works you see here are my own, and trace the journey that I have been on since picking up a hog bristle brush for the first time in October 2019. They’re certainly not masterpieces – I’m sure many of them are full of faults that are quite apparent even to an untrained eye. They probably wouldn’t win any awards at a local art show. Nonetheless, to me they are achievements.
What I am aiming to show here is my learning experience, as I strive to discover new ways of enjoying my painting. Along the way I will offer some insights into why I have chosen to paint these subjects. In some cases it’s because I want to try different techniques, in others its because I want to relive memories of places that are special to me, and for some it’s just because I like painting gum trees and rivers.
I hope you enjoy perusing my work – feel free to leave a comment if you like and I will endeavor to answer as soon as I can. And while constructive criticism is greatly appreciated, please keep it nice!