Mark King's luminous landscapes are influenced by the varied environments in which he has
lived, painterly opportunities and inspiration created by the Impressionist masters he so
admires.
Born in Bombay, King is the product of an exotic and privileged upbringing in India
during the last years of the British Raj. College study in India focused on botany as well as art
and, upon graduation in 1948, he sailed for England to attend Bournemouth College of Art,
determined to pursue painting, sculpture, architecture and theater design. Subsequently, he
spent seven years as Resident scenic designer at the Oxford Playhouse Theatre until
determining in 1961 to concentrate on painting which prompted a move to Paris to study at
the cole des Beaux-Arts and the Louvre.
The artist's move to the United States in 1968 prompted a shift in his preparation and
painting methods. Although he originally worked only on location in order to capture the
changing effects of light and atmosphere in the Impressionist tradition, King now utilizes
photography and pencil sketches to document a landscape from a variety of angles when
working on the sporting scenes, particularly golf, for which he is acclaimed. In the studio, he
will often condense various views or themes into one composition, without exactly reproducing
nature, and transfer the effect to a larger canvas, working on several paintings at once.
Underpainting in gouache, he works the heavy acrylic of the surface texture primarily
with a palette knife, producing a landscape with layers of light and true dimension, completing
the painting with layered glazes. "It is not until the last ten to fifteen minutes before
completion that I am able to see where the painting is going and catch the mood of the
moment." His careful preparation and inspired technique produces familiar landscapes whose
unusual details are revealed in rich and sudden light.
King's paintings are exhibited in prominent galleries, museums and collected
worldwide.
BIRTHPLACE: Bombay, India
EDUCATION: La Martiniere College, Calcutta, India
Bournemouth College of Art
cole des Beaux-Arts
EXHIBITIONS: Galerie Robert Philipe, Paris, France
Center Art Galleries, Honolulu, HI
Gallery One, Denver, CO
Studio 47, New York NY
JEM Alexander Gallery, Chicago, IL
Doddwell Gallery, Osaka, Japan
Gallery Mage, Kyoto, Japan
Gallery Prova, Tokyo, Japan
Bel-Air Country Club, Los Angeles, CA
Martin Lawrence Galleries (nationwide)
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