Mark Larson Blog






 

Mark Larson - oil painter and printmaker

Marc Chagall once said, "Great art picks up where nature ends."  For Mark Larson,  a former nature painter and Portland, Oregon native who now lives and works in Tacoma, WA, this statement could not be more apt.  Inspired by his travels to Europe beginning in 1999 with his wife Andree, an art historian, Mark underwent a personal and artistic renaissance of his own, literally overnight.  Mark's paintings now encompass natural and figurative symbolism, natural and urban landscapes and dreamscapes, and a new series of paintings that explore the convergence of memory, time, and place.

Described as a "surreal genius" by The Columbian newspaper, Mark has evolved into one of America's leading contemporary symbolist painters, having shown his work nationally and internationally in solo and group gallery shows and exhibitions such as the Florence Biennale in Florence, Italy, the JayKay Gallery International Landscape & Dreamscape exhibition in Carouge, Switzerland, and the Art Essential Contemporary Art Exhibition in Calgary, Canada, where he won multiple best of show awards.   His paintings are widely collected on several continents and are in numerous private and public collections such as Princess Cruise Lines, Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum, and many others.  Mark's paintings have recently been included in a book titled Best of America - Oil Painting, volume II, by Kennedy Publishing.

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Current Resume:

Education

1997 - Bachelor of Science, Painting, Drawing, and Printmaking, Portland State University, Portland, Oregon


Selected Honors and Awards

Selected to appear in Best of America - Oil Painting volume II, by Kennedy Publishing, 2009
Cover and Featured Artist, Big Fun Arts and Entertainment Magazine, 2009
People’s Choice, Kent Juried Fine Arts Exhibition, Kent, Washington, 2006
Best of Show, Collector’s Choice, Art Essential, Calgary Alberta, Canada, 2001
Best of Show, Artist’s Choice, Art Essential, Calgary Alberta, Canada, 2001
3rd Place, Artist’s Magazine’s Annual Art Competition, 2001 (Out of nearly 13,000 entries nationwide). Juror: Ross Merrill, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.


International Exhibitions:

2009 - International Landscape/Dreamscape Exhibition, Jay Kay Gallery, Carouge, Switzerland
2005 - Biennale Internazionale Dell’Arte Contemporanea, Florence, Italy
2001 - Art Essential, Calgary Alberta, Canada


U.S. Exhibitions:

2009 - Solo and Group Shows, Robert Daniel Gallery, Tacoma, Washington
2009 - Solo and Group Shows, Heritage Falls Gallery, West Linn, Oregon
2009 - Group Show, Nancy Jacey Gallery, Tampa, Florida
2009 - Gala, Tacoma Art Museum juried show, Tacoma, Washington
2008 - Gala, Tacoma Art Museum juried show, Tacoma, Washington
2007 - Night Tacoma Danced, Tacoma Art Museum juried show, Tacoma, Washington
2007-  Miniatures, First Street Gallery, Turlock, California
2006 - Dreamscapes of the Soul, Winged Lion Studio and Gallery, Tacoma, Washington
2006 - Miniatures, First Street Gallery, Turlock, California
2005 - Birds of A Feather, Yoshida’s Fine Art Gallery, Portland, Oregon
2005 - Miniatures, Yoshida’s Fine Art Gallery, Portland, Oregon
2004 - Birds in Art, Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum, Wausau, Wisconsin
2004 - Touch, Yoshida’s Fine Art Gallery, Portland, Oregon
2004 = Group Show, Gallery Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada
2003 - Art Expo, New York, New York
2001 - Solo Show, New Horizons Gallery, Fairbanks, Alaska
2001 - Art Expo of the Americas, Tacoma, Washington
2001 - Pacific Rim Art Expo, Seattle, Washington
1998-2002 - Solo Shows, Larson-Dinan Gallery Ltd., Troutdale, Oregon

Selected Public Collections

Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum, Wausau, Wisconsin
Princess Cruises, Los Angeles, California
Sixth Avenue Business District, Tacoma, Washington
Mercy Medical Center, Sr. Caritas Cancer Center, Springfield, Massachusetts
Historic Redmond Hotel, Redmond, Oregon



Selected Publications
 
Best of America - Oil Painting volume II, Kennedy Publishing, 2009
Tacoma Weekly, feature article, “Dreamscapes of the Soul in the Dome District,” 2006
The Columbian, feature article, “Surreal Genius,” 2005
Art Business News - New Artist and Gallery feature, 2002
Art World News - New Print Releases, 2002
Artist’s Magazine - Annual Art Competition Winners, 2001
US Art Magazine - New Print Releases, 2001
Southwest Art Magazine - New Gallery Feature, 2000



Born

March 3, 1964, Portland, Oregon


Represented By:

Robert Daniel Gallery, Tacoma, Washington