Mark Seely - painter | by Phillip Istomin
“Art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable.”
– Cesar A. Cruz.
Mark Seely is an artist and a bit of a mystery. You get the sense that he would rather leave some things out about his childhood/upbringing, which is perfectly respectable. My favorite artists are the ones that value their privacy, rather letting their work do the talking, which in turn makes one that much more curious about the individual. Mark’s work is very much a reflection of him and whatever experiences preceded that brush stroke, the scrape, or the flame… True artists let their subconscious run wild, exorcising their demons via a medium of their choosing. The process isn’t formulaic or terribly thought out, it is more expressive, emotional, raw. It IS therapeutic. Art, creativity simply pours out of the artist, and all they have to do is figure out how to channel it, nurse it, and develop it as far as it can possibly go. The best art is honest and unique to its creator. It brings out an emotion in the viewer, be it positive or negative. It simply can’t be ignored. It stays with you, like a memory you can’t let go of. Mark Seely’s painting are haunting. There is beauty in the turmoil. Each layer adds dimension to the piece for the viewer to explore and contemplate. The pieces are extremely gestural, mixing various materials and techniques. Some paintings are more abstract than others, but the overall feel is consistent throughout. It took Mark the majority of his life to get to this point, he’s been painting, creating since he was a baby. Numerous exhibits and commissioned work have all been leading up to arguably the biggest spotlight at this year’s Art Meets Fashion exhibit, due to take place on October 23d at The Fallout. This is surely just a stepping stone, a phase before the next phase. Live and learn, create, perfect, start over. Redefine. An artist never finishes his work…