Artist Feature and Interview
Mark Thomas (Canada)
"Nap Interrupted," Recycled material (mis-tinted house paint on salvaged plywood boards), 24 x 24 inches
Mark Thomas is a writer and artist living in St. Catharines, Canada. He has recently had five books released by small independent publishers (Next to Ewe, Paper Dragon, The Enclave, A Robot a Ghost and an Alien Walk into a Bar, and Searching for Martian Slutfest IV). His artwork has recently appeared in a couple of literary magazines (Hum, and Fish Barrel Review).
He always uses recycled materials in his artwork. Paintings are mis-tinted latex house paint on salvaged plywood. Sculptures are made from abandoned furniture, insect damaged trees and scrap construction material.
"5 minute parking," Recycled material (mis-tinted house paint on salvaged plywood boards), 48 x 24 inches
🎤When did you first feel the calling to be an artist?🎤
🎤Was there a specific moment or experience that pushed you into art?🎤
"I liked hanging around the art room in middle school, painting hockey cards and imaginary album covers.
But I didn’t start thinking seriously about art until I was an adult with a commercial painting business. We used a lot of primary colours for pipes and conduits in apartment complexes and every day when I scraped out the paint trays, uncovering layers, I felt like I was making abstract paintings."
"Academy Street," Latex House Paint on Plywood, 24 x 24 inches
🎤How did you develop your unique creative process with recycled material?🎤
🎤Please share your story.🎤
"I don’t take myself or my art seriously. I just can’t imagine using stretched canvasses, Winsor and Newton oil tubes, and gold flake frames. I’ve always liked “primitive” artists like Robert Crumb, William Kurelek and Marsden Hartley.
I’ve also renovated a lot of low-end rental buildings, and it’s depressing to see how much material gets tossed into a dumpster with every project. To me, it was natural to use scraps of plywood sheathing and left over paint rather than send it to a landfill. A lot of hardware stores sell cans of mis-tinted paint for ten dollars a gallon, and the colours are often bizarre. Sometimes friends give me old paint cans from their basements.
In a similar way, I’d feel guilty about carving a beautiful piece of wood milled from a tree. So I use bits of trees that have been killed by beetles, or furniture that has been abandoned in my neighbourhood."
"Another Pike for Truman Capote," Latex House Paint on Plywood, 24 x 35 inches
🎤What is the most challenging part of your creative process?🎤
"My various hobbies compete with each other for time, so sometimes projects get shelved for months or years. Lately, I’ve been doing more creative writing than painting or carving. I could really use some better carving tools."
"Young Alison," Oil Based House Paint on Plywood, 48 x 48 inches
🎤What does success mean to you as an artist in the contemporary art world?🎤
"I’m never going to have commercial success. I hope local shows and fairs will eventually build a small following. I’d really like to move some big, awkward pieces out of my house."
