Mark Hodgkinson
Mark is a mixed media artist based in Nottingham, UK. He was born in 1966 in Aden and then lived in Germany for a couple of years before his family returned to the UK.
Mark’s creativity emerged in early childhood, drawing and painting at an early age. Having struggled with reading at school, Mark found Art was a subject he could really excel in.
He went on to study Graphic Design at Art college in Leicester, which lead to a career as a freelance graphic designer, working for design agencies in the Midlands and London. Eventually, he started an award -winning creative agency.
After a successful career, he decided to return to his original creative passion of pencil drawing and also experimented with various painting techniques. Although Mark had a leaning towards detailed pencil drawing, he now prefers a more spontaneous expressive mixed media style, rich in colour and contrast.
His paintings are built up of hundreds of digital layers to create the base image for his piece. He then prints onto canvas and over-paints with metallic and gold leaf, and adding a top coat of high gloss glitter resin to make the colours ‘pop’ and sparkle.
Mark’s current collection focusses on icons and explores the powerful feelings of nostalgia they often evoke within us. Many of these icons inspire and enrich our lives in so many ways through their art. However, fame can come at a price for some. The sadness behind the mask of fame is often depicted by golden tear drops in many of the pieces.
Mark’s ultimate ambition was to exhibit his work in galleries across the UK. After many years of working towards this, he is finally realising his dream.