Mark Boedges
While I paint many different kinds of subjects, the landscape is my first and greatest love. Like many artists, I strive to achieve a painterly realism in my work. I do this for a few reasons. As students we are taught to focus on what is essential in our subject; but this can be a subjective judgment. For me, what is essential about nature is its complexity. Everywhere I look I see the grittiness, cragginess and fine-grained texture of the natural world. It is this essential ruggedness and complexity that I try to capture in paint. Experience has taught me that two aspects more than any other are crucial in this endeavor. The first is using multiple layers of paint, abstractly and randomly applied, to suggest the depth of nature's complexity, since I could never render this literally or convincingly. And the second is to focus on, and really capture, the ambient light, as this is the source of all the subtle and remarkably beautiful shifts in color and value that give reality its presence and liveliness.
SELECTED AWARDS
2018 ARC Realism Award - OPA National Exhibition
2015 Artists' Choice - Easton Plein Air
2015 Best in Show - Wayne Plein Air
2015 2nd Place Overall - Plein Air Salon
2014 Best In Show - American Impressionist Society
2014 Artists' Choice - Door County Plein Air
2014 Best in Show - Wayne Plein Air
2013 Best in Show - Scottsdale Salon of Fine Art
2013 Best in Show - Vermont Plein Air
2013 Artists' Choice - Vermont Plein Air
2013 Best in Show - Door County Plein Air
2013 Artists' Choice - Door County Plein Air
2011 Joseph Hartley Memorial Award - Salmagundi Club
SELECTED ARTICLES
2021 Feature Article - Pratique des Arts - Issue #161
2019 Feature Article - June Issue - Local Life
2018 Feature Article - June Issue - Western Art & Architecture
2017 Feature Article - August Issue - Southwest Art
2015 Feature Article - April Issue - Southwest Art
2014 Feature Article - Nov/Dec Issue - Art of the West
2013 Featured Artist - Oct/Nov Plein Air Magazine
2012 Feature Article - Oct/Nov. issue International Artist Magazine
2010 Grand Prize - Feb/March issue International Artist Magazine