So, I’ve moved my studio (yet again) and managed to get most things in one place. As I said in the description I’ll do my best to keep things current.
I came up with the title: ‘Ars Automata’ which I think works on many different levels. It was a totally unconscious intuitive title. That’s the 95% of my brain working without my knowledge and it’s much smarter than conscious me. Automata is defined as a moving mechanical device made in imitation of a human being…or a machine which performs a range of functions according to a predetermined set of coded instructions.
How much do we surrender our human selves to this definition of the artificial? Even thought process?
ARS has quite a few meanings, one of which is short for Age, Race and Sexuality…
So here I am sitting in Starbucks, No idea how to get written work done. This is the best solution I have come up with in the new year. I can’t work from home because there are too many distractions. The studio is just cold enough to facilitate the making of artwork but far too cold to sit still. So I’m in search of an office, from whence I can type without being exposed to the perils of arthritis…hopefully. Today I’m trying out the fabled Starbucks, bourgeoisie, wifi lifestyle. I could probably pass for one of them if I wasn’t attired in my functional work clothes. They may just believe me to be a farmer.
Today I eviscerated a mannequin…The legendary Chaplin speech: “machine men with machine minds and machine hearts”
My practice has recently found its way towards exploring the relationship between human and the artificial…again. I recently watched a video of Russell Brand banging on about Klaus Schwab. In a short youtube video, MR Schwab appeared to be advacating for us all to have microchips in our brains. He’s got an incredible way with words. Maybe it’s a translation thing, but he often makes it seem that we don’t have a choice when he suggests something. I just love having my personal autonomy waved away by rich elites in a passing statement. This is the source of inspiration to me.
Environmental factors that influence painting are numerous. In a converted factory made out of concrete, this is the time of year to wrestle with refrigeration. At the moment I can just about paint, because it’s not so bad if I’m moving around. Static laptop work…no chance. Library’s and purveyors of coffee are my main refuge in case of frostbitten fingers. Today I was repairing some paintings that have suffered the ravages of gallery walls. In fact I repaired some damaged canvases too. So I guess that is actually the theme of the day. I hate to throw anythig away
The themes of Mark’s paintings are often premeditated and decided prior to the application of paint. Imagery will be conjured at the base layer in the form of various shapes and textures. Paint is subsequently applied in an expressive manor, using meditative techniques, some documented by those who practice ‘automatic drawing’. A combination of paint and varnish is then used to reveal the hidden esoteric patterns within.
